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PRINCETON,    N.     J 


I 


y 


BS  2415  .M2  1870 
MacGregor,  Duncan,  1787 

1881. 
The  shepherd  of  Israel 


THE 


SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL 


OR, 


ILLUSTEATIOlifS  OF  THE  INNEE  LIFE. 


BY   THE 

EEV.    DUNCAN^  MACGEEGOE,    M.A., 

MINISTER  OP  ST.   PETER*  S,   DUNDEE,   SCOTIiAND. 


NEW     YOEK: 
EGBERT  CAETER  AND  BROTHERS, 

530    BROADWAY. 
1870. 


.-.imBS, 


TO  THE 

REV.   ALEXANDER  DUFF,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

PEOFESSOR  OF  EVANGEUSTIC  THEOLOGY,  NEW  COLLEGE,  EDINBUIIGH, 

Reverend  and  Dear  Sir  : 

i  inscetbe  xouk  name  on  this  little  book  as  an  expee9sion 
of  wakm  peesonal  eegaed,  and  admiration  of  the  distinguished 
gifts  and  graces  bestowed  upon  you  by  the  great  head  of  the 
Church,  antd  consecrated  with  such  self-sacrificing  devotion  to 

His  cause. 

DUNCAN    MACGREGOE. 


<^^^Sii 


.1 

ft£C.  NOV  1881 

THSOLOGIC 


CONTENm^^.^^ 


I.— THE   SHEPHERD  OF  ISRAEL. 

•*  Give  eax,  O  Shepherd  of  Israel,  thou  that  leadest 
Joseph  like  a  flock  ;  thou  that  dwellest  between 
the  cherubim,  shine  forth.  Before  Ephraim  and 
Benjamin  and  Manasseh  stir  up  thy  strength,  and 
come  and  save  us,"  Psalm  Ixxx.  1,  2, 

n.— THE  KING'S  DAUGHTER. 

"The  king's  daughter  is  all  glorious  within  :  her  cloth- 
ing is  of  wrought  gold.  She  shall  be  brought  unto 
the  king  in  raiment  of  needlework  :  the  virgins  her 
companions  that  follow  her  shall  be  brought  unto 
thee.  With  gladness  and  rejoicing  shall  they  be 
brought  :  they  shall  enter  into  the  king's  palace," 
Psahn  xlv.  13-15, 


in.— THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE. 

Although  my  house  be  not  so  with  God  ;  yet  he  hath 
made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in 
all  things,  and  sure  :  for  this  is  all  my  salvation, 
and  all  my  desire,  although  he  make  it  not  to  grow," 
2  Samuel  xxiii.  5, 54 


6  CONTENTS. 

IV.— THE  UNKNOWN  WAY  AND  THE  KNOWN  GUIDE. 

PAGE 

"And  I  will  bring  tlie  blind  by  a  way  that  tbey  knew 
not ;  I  will  lead  tliem  in  paths  that  they  have  not 
known  :  I  will  make  darkness  light  before  them, 
and  crooked  things  straight.  These  things  will  I 
do  unto  them,  and  not  forsake  them,"  Isaiah 
xlii.  16, 76 


v.— KEMEMBEEING  ALL  THE  WAY. 

And  thou  shalt  remember  all  the  way  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  led  thee  these  forty  years  in  the  wilderness, 
to  humble  thee,  and  to  prove  thee,  to  know  what 
was  in  thine  heart,  whether  thou  wouldest  keep  his 
commandments  or  no.  And  he  humbled  thee,  and 
suffered  thee  to  hunger,  and  fed  thee  -^dth  manna. 
.  .  .  Thy  raiment  waxed  not  old  upon  thee,  neither 
did  thy  foot  swell,  these  forty  years.  ...  As  a  man 
chasteneth  his  son,  so  the  Lord  thy  God  chasteneth 
thee,  ...  to  do  thee  good  at  thy  latter  end," 
Deut.  viii.  2-5,  16, 99 

VL— THE  STBANGER  IN  THE  EAUTH. 

I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth,"  Psalm  cxix.  19,         .        129 

Vn.— THE  FRIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAYIOUE 
AND  THE  SAVED. 

•  Henceforth  I  caU  you  not  servants  ;  for  the  servant 
knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth  :  but  I  have  called 
you  friends  ;  for  all  things  that  I  have  heard  of  my 
Father  I  have  made  known  -onto  you,"  John  xv. 
15, 152 


CONTENTS.  7 

Vin.— CLOSEE  THAN  A  BEOTHEK. 

PAGE 

'  And  tliere  is  a  Mend  that  sticketli  closer  than  a  bro- 
ther,"  Proverbs  x^dii.  24,  .        .         .        .        .171 

IX.— THE  FIEEY  TEIAL. 

Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery 
trial  which  is  to  try  yon,  as  though  some  strange 
thing  hapj)ened  unto  you  :  but  rejoice,  inasmuch 
as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings  ;  that, 
when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad 
also  vdth  exceeding  joy,"  1  Peter  iv.  12,  13,     .        .  180 

X.— THE  TEIUMPH. 

Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery 
trial  which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange 
thing  happened  unto  you  :  but  rejoice,  inasmuch 
as  ye  are  partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings  ;  that, 
when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad 
also  with  exceeding  joy,"  1  Peter  iv.  12,  13,     .        .  205 

XI.— THE  WONDEES  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Thy  testimonies  are  wonderful,"  Psalm  cxix.  129,        .  223 

Xn.— TAKE  HEED  HOW  YE  HEAR. 
Take  heed  how  ye  hear,"  Luke  viii.  18,        .        .        .  238 

Xin.— AS  WHITE  AS  SNOW. 

Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord  : 
though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as 
white  as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson, 
they  shaU  be  as  wool,"  Isaiah  i.  18,  .         .         .         .  267 


;  CONTENTS. 

XIV.— THE  GREAT  MULTITUDE. 

PAGS 

'  After  this  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  multitude  which 
no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds, 
and  people,  and  tongues,  stood  before  the  throne, 
and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes, 
and  palms  in  their  hands  ;  and  cried  with  a  loud 
voice,  saying.  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.  .  .  .  These 
are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation, 
and  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  .  .  .  They  shall 
hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more  ;  neither 
shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For 
the  Lamb,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne, 
shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living 
fountains  of  waters  ;  and  God  shaU  wipe  away  aU 
tears  from  their  eyes,"  Rev.  vii.  9-17,       .         .         .  280 

XV.— TIMES  OF  REFRESHING. 

And  when-  they  had  prayed,  the  place  was  shaken 
where  they  were  assembled  together ;  and  they 
were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  spake 
the  word  of  God  with  boldness.  And  the  multitude 
of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart  and  of  one 
soul  :  neither  said  any  of  them  that  aught  of  the 
things  which  he  possessed  was  his  own  ;  but  they 
had  aU  things  common.  And  with  great  power 
gave  the  apostles  witness  of  the  resiu-rection  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  :  and  great  grace  was  upon  them  all," 
Acts  iv.  31-33, 292 

XVI.— HE  THAT  WINNETH  SOULS  IS  WISE. 

THE   LIFE   AND   LABORS   OF   THE   KEV.    WM.    C.    BURNS. 

He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise,"  Proverbs  xi.  30,  .  316 


PEIHGETOIT 
fiEC,  NOV  1881 
THEOLOGIGi:! 


THE    SHEPHEED     OF    ISEA]^l! 


ii^ 

J^^ 


Ps.  Ixxx.  1,  2. 
"  Give  ear,  O  Shepherd  of  Israel,  thou  that  leadest  Joseph 
like  a  flock  ;  thou  that  dwellest  betM'een  the  cherubim,  shine 
forth.     Before  Ephraim  and  Benjamin  and  Manasseh  stir 
up  thy  strength,  and  come  and  save  us." 

^^^^UR  object  in  sending  fortli  this  mes- 
senger is  to  speak  a  word  for  Clirist 
to  tliose  whom  we  have  no  strength 
«4  ^s^  to  reach  by  the  hving  voice.  Thou 
who  gTiidest  the  stars  in  heaven,  guide  it  where 
it  will  speak  a  word  in  season ! 

This  psalm  was  written  in  a  time  of  sore 
trouble.  Some  of  its  strains  are  as  plaintive  as 
the  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah.  (Y.  4,  5,  6.) 
The  Church  is  in  tears.  She  dips  her  morsel 
in  the  vinegar.     She  leels  herself  under  God's 

(9) 


10  THE   SHEPHERD    OF  ISEAEL. 

fi'O^Ti.  Slie  feels  as  if  he  were  angry  against 
tlie  prayer  of  his  jDeople.  And  her  enemies 
enjoy  their  cruel  triumph.  That  mighty  Arm, 
so  often  in  days  past  revealed  in  the  splen- 
dor of  its  power  in  her  defence,  is  no  longer 
made  bare.  Israel  is  an  easy  prey  to  their 
enemies.  The  Yine  which  God  brought  out 
of  Egypt  and  planted  in  the  x>i'oniised  land — 
the  noble  Yine  of  the  Old  Testament  Church 
— the  Yine  which  covered  the  hills  of  Canaan 
with  its  shadow,  and  whose  boughs  were  hke 
the  goodly  cedars — the  Yine  which  in  the 
days  of  David  and  Solomon  overspread  the 
land  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Euphra- 
tes, and  from  Lebanon  to  the  wilderness  of 
Beersheba — ^is  plucked,  wasted,  devoured,  burnt. 
It  was  in  such  a  cloudy  and  dark  day  that  the 
Church  raised  this  cry  to  God.  Like  the  dis- 
ciples in  the  storm  who  awoke  Jesus,  saying, 
"Master,  carest  thou  not  that  we  perish?" 
she  lifts  her  voice  to  him  who  is  a  very  pre- 
sent help  in  trouble.  It  is  told  of  Martin 
Luther  that  he  always  sang  the  forty-sixth 
psalm  in  his  distresses,  and  caUed  it  the  war- 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL.  11 

song  of  the  Cliiirch.  But  it  was  tlie  Cliurcli's 
war-song  long  before  Luther.  Thhty  centu- 
ries ago  she  had  learned  to  sing,  "  The  Lord 
on  high  is  mightier  than  the  noise  of  many 
waters,  yea,  than  the  mighty  waves  of  the 
sea :"  ''  The  Lord  is  my  Kock  and  my  for- 
tress, and  my  dehverer ;  my  God,  my  strength 
in  whom  I  will  trust :  my  buckler  and  the 
horn  of  my  salvation,  and  my  high  tower." 
Let  us  consider  three  points  : 
L  God's  Name — "The  Shepherd  of  Israel, 

who  leadeth  Joseph  Hke  a  flock." 
II.  God's  JDtvelUng-place — "  Between  the  che- 
rubim." 
III.  The  ChurcJis  Frayer—"  Shine  forth  :  stir 
up  thy  strength,  and  come  and  save 
us." 
I.  God's  Name.     The  Shepherd  of  Israel  is 
the  name  to  which  the  distressed  Church  ap- 
peals.    This  name  to  her  is  an  ointment  poured 
forth,  and  illustrates  better  than  any  other  the 
care,  and  love,  and  tenderness  of  God.     "  The 
Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want."     "  He 
shall  feed  his  flock  hke  a  Shepherd."     In  the 


12  THE   SHEPHEKD   OF  ISRAEL. 

New  Testament  the  name  is  applied  specifi- 
cally to  Jesus.  He  applies  it  to  liimseK,  "  I  am 
the  good  Shepherd." 

The  words,  "  that  leadest  Joseph  like  a  flock," 
describe  the  Shepherd's  whole  work  in  guiding 
Joseph  from  Egypt  to  Canaan.  There  is  pe- 
culiar frilness  and  breadth  in  the  word  "lead- 
est." There  is  a  density,  so  to  speak,  in  the 
language  of  mspired  poetry  which  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  exjDress  in  common  words.  We  almost 
shrink  from  analyzing  it  logically,  as  we 
shrink  from  cutting  a  rose  in  two.  These 
lovely  branches  of  the  Tree  of  Life,  laden 
with  twelve  manner  of  fruits,  and  whose  very 
leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations,  re- 
fuse to  be  compressed  into  our  more  or  less 
artificial  forms.  Better  to  pluck  the  fruit 
off  them  as  they  grow  in  the  garden  of  God! 
Better  to  eat  the  bread  than  to  describe  its 
chemical  constituents!  One  loves  to  take  a 
word  like  this  as  it  stands,  and  drink  salva- 
tion out  of  it.  If  we  might  venture  to  subdi- 
vide it,  with  the  view  of  opening  up  its  treas- 
ures, we  should  say  that  along  with  the  main 


THE   SHEPHEKD   OF  ISRAEL.  13 

idea  of  guiding^  it  includes  the  kindred  ones 
of  feeding  and  icatching  over. 

1.  The  Shepherd  of  Israel  guides  Joseph. 

"  Thoii  leddest  thy  people  like  a  flock  by 
the  hand  of  Moses  and  Aaron."  As  the  cloudy 
pillar  went  before  Israel,  and  fixed  their  rest- 
ing-places, and  guided  them  all  through  the 
wilderness — a  cooling  shade  by  day  and  a 
shining  lamp  by  night — so  the  Shepherd  of 
Israel  guides  Joseph  like  a  flock  to  the  end. 
And  Joseph  follows  the  Shepherd  of  Israel. 
"  These  are  they  that  follow  the  Lamb  whither- 
soever he  goeth."  The  desert  is  long  and 
weary.  You  know  not  whither  to  go.  You  are 
apt  to  lose  your  way,  and  wander  in  by-paths, 
and  once  astray  you  cannot  find  your  way  back 
again. 

But  he  knows  the  way  thoroughly.  He  has 
led  Joseph  like  a  flock  in  all  generations  from 
Abel  downwards.  He  knows  the  best  way  for 
yoiL  "  Thine  ear  shall  hear  a  voice  behind 
thee,  saying,  *  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." 
(Isa.  XXX.  21.)  He  knows  how  fast  each  sheep 
and  lamb  in  his  innumerable  flock  can  be  led. 


14  THE   SHEPHERD    OF   ISRAEL. 

Some  have  a  short  journey  to  heaven.  They 
speed  their  way  home.  They  pass  the  mile- 
stones quickly  in  the  da34ight.  The  Shepherd 
of  Israel  takes  long  steps  with  them,  and  they 
reach  Canaan  soon.  A  blessed  gale  blowing 
fresh  from  the  heavens  wafts  these  happy 
voyagers  to  the  shores  of  glory.  The  whole 
range  of  Christian  Biography  abounds  with 
examples.  Let  me  name  Brainerd  and  Martyn, 
James  HaUey  and  Robert  M'Cheyne,  Mackin- 
tosh and  Hedley  Yicars,  Hewitson  and  David 
Sandeman.  Others  cannot  be  led  so  fast. 
They  would  die.  The  Shepherd  of  Israel  knows 
this. 

O  blessed  Shepherd :  with  what  unerring 
wisdom  he  guides  Joseph  as  he  is  able  to  bear 
it!  And  when  Joseph  backslides,  he  restores 
him — when  Joseph  falls,  he  lifts  him  up — when 
Joseph  is  weary  and  footsore,  he  bears  him  as 
on  eagles'  wings.  "  My  presence  shall  go  with 
thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest ;"  "  I  wiU  bring 
the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  knew  not."  (Exod. 
xxxiii.  14 ;  Isa.  xlii.  16.)  And  he  bears  aU  the 
costs  of  the  journey.     "  My  grace  is  sufficient 


THE   SHEPHEKD   OF   ISRAEL.  15 

for  tliee,  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in 
weakness."  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  for- 
sake thee."  Ah !  that  word,  "  Never  leave  thee," 
reaches  through  the  darkest  hours  of  temptation, 
the  chillest  seasons  of  desertion,  the  deepest 
waters  of  affliction,  the  hottest  fires  of  persecu- 
tion ;  it  reaches  unto  death,  through  death  and 
the  grave  to  the  eternal  rest  beyond. 

It  tests  the  shepherd's  skill  to  lead  his  flock 
across  a  deep,  dark,  swelling  river.  The  Shep- 
herd of  Israel  leads  every  sheep  and  lamb  of  his 
innumerable  flock  safe  across  the  Jordan  of 
death.  He  carries  them  in  his  arms  to  the 
farther  shore.  He  never  lost  one.  As  Israel 
walked  through  the  Eed  Sea  between  two  high 
crystal  walls, — as  Jordan's  waters  were  driven 
back,  and  the  white-robed  priests  stood  in  the 
middle  of  its  channel  bearing  the  golden  ark 
until  the  last  of  Israel  passed  over, — so  Jesus 
stands  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  of  death, 
until  the  last  of  his  flock  has  entered  the  Pro- 
mised Land.  In  the  presence  of  the  Shepherd 
of  Israel,  Death,  which  to  the  eye  of  sense  is  a 
spectre  terror-crowned,  becomes  the  messenger 


16  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

of  peace  to  call  Josepli  home.  "  The  sucking 
child  shall  put  his  hand  upon  the  cockatrice's 
den."  "We  saw  a  beautiful  verification  of  these 
words  some  time  ago.  Next  door  to  ours,  on  a 
communion  Sabbath  morning,  a  little  man,  just 
six  years  old,  was  taken  home  to  glory.  The 
day  before  he  died,  he  said  to  his  aunt,  "  Aunt, 
there's  a  great  change  in  me  ;"  and  seeing  her 
look  sad,  he  said,  "  It's  in  my  soul,  I  mean.  I 
never  felt  Jesus  so  near.  I  feel  as  if  I  could 
touch  him.  Surely  the  angel  will  be  coming 
soon  now !"  To  dry  her  fast-falling  tears  the 
dear  little  saint  added,  "  I  should  like  to  be  with 
you  a  little  longer,  and  do  some  work  for  Jesus  ; 
but  the  angel  is  coming  very  soon !" 

"Asleep  in  Jesus  !  blessed  sleep  ! 
From  which  none  ever  wakes  to  weep  ; 
Asleep  in  Jesus  !  peaceful  rest, 
Whose  waking  is  supremely  blest." 

2.  The  Shepherd  of  Israel /eecfo  Joseph. 

He  who  said  to  Peter,  "Feed  my  sheep," 
\  "  Feed  my  lambs,"  is  careful  to  feed  them  him- 
self. He  has  provided  a  fold,  and  green  pas- 
tures, and  quiet  waters,  and  under-shepherds  to 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL.  17 

tend  tlie  sheep  under  his  own  eye.  The  fold  is 
the  Church  of  Christ.  The  green  pastures  are 
his  word  and  ordinances.  The  still  waters  are 
the  fulness  of  spiritual  blessings  treasured  up  in 
him.  The  under-shepherds  are  faithful  pastors. 
Christ's  pastures  are  always  green.  Through- 
out the  whole  range  of  God's  blessed  book  he 
leads  Joseph  fi'om  spot  to  spot,  feeding  him  with 
food  convenient  for  him.  He  who  fed  millions 
with  manna  in  the  desert  feeds  miUions  now  in 
the  green  pastures  of  the  word.  He  knows 
what  pasture  best  suits  every  sheep  and  lamb  in 
his  flock.  As  the  wants  of  the  flock  are  various, 
the  pastures  are  various.  He  has  strong  meat 
for  the  strong,  he  has  milk  for  babes.  "He 
gathers  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carries 
them  in  his  bosom."  He  leads  Joseph  from 
place  to  place.  Sometimes  he  feeds  you  in 
luxuriant  pastures,  and  anon  he  withdraws  you 
to  pick  the  grass  amongst  the  rocks,  to  feed 
on  the  bitter  herbs  of  reproof,  and  repentance, 
and  godly  sorrow.  See  the  beautiful  variety 
of  gifts  which,  for  this  end,  he  dispenses  to 
the  under-shepherds  who  feed  his  flock.  Paul 
2 


18  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

and  Apollos  and  Cephas  are  yours,  if  you  are 
Christ's.  One  star  differs  from  another  star 
in  glory.  One,  Hke  the  Baptist,  comes  preach- 
ing repentance,  with  voice  hke  the  strong  wind 
that  bloweth ;  and  one,  hke  Barnabas,  is  a 
son  of  consolation.  One  pierces  with  arrows  of 
conviction  ;  another  poinds  in  the  oil  of  gladness. 
One  has  drunk  largely  of  Christ's  love,  like 
John ;  and  another,  like  Paul,  is  mighty  in 
the  deep  things  of  God ;  and  all  to  meet  the 
varied  wants  of  the  sheep  and  lambs  of 
Christ. 

3.  The  Shepherd  of  Israel  luatches  over 
Joseph. 

In  the  wildernesses  of  the  East,  infested 
by  wolves,  and  Hons,  and  thieves,  shepherds 
watch  their  flocks  all  night.  In  the  wilderness 
of  this  world  worse  thieves,  wolves,  and  lions 
prowl  abroad.  Hence  the  Shepherd  of  Israel 
is  ever  on  the  watch.  From  heaven — that  high 
place  of  prospect  and  of  power — he  looks  down 
with  eyes  of  flame,  and  sees  every  danger  and 
snare  and  enemy.  (Ps.  cxxi.  4;  Luke  xxii.  31, 
32  ;  Zech.  ii.  5.)      A  great  work  has  been  in- 


THE  SHEPHEKD   OF  ISRAEL.  19 

trusted  to  liim.  His  Father's  glory,  and  mil- 
lions of  precious  souls — dear  to  God  as  the 
apple  of  his  eye,  dear  to  himself  as  the  jewels  of 
his  crown — are  put  under  his  care.  Thousands 
of  his  flock  are  in  every  corner  of  the  wide 
world.  He  watches  over  them  all.  If  he  had 
not  watched  over  the  wise  virgins  when  they 
slept,  what  had  become  of  them  ?  If  he  had 
not  watched  over  Peter  in  the  hour  of  his 
melancholy  fall,  what  had  become  of  him? 
"  Fear  not,  httle  flock  ;  it  is  your  Father's  good 
pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom."  No  Hon 
can  harm  you,  no  robber  can  sj)oil  him  of  his 
treasures.  As  he  never  has  lost  one,  so  he  never 
shall.  Tenderly  as  a  mother  watches  her  sick 
child,  and  forgets  sleep  and  rest  for  its  sake, — 
and  hangs  over  it  from  morning  to  night,  and 
fiom  night  to  morning — and  guards  its  broken 
slumbers — and  interprets  its  little  cries  and 
signals — and  tries  to  hide  her  tears  from  its 
observation :  so  will  the  Shepherd  of  Israel 
watch  over  Joseph — over  the  very  feeblest  of 
his  lambs  and  sheep,  until  they  are  safe  in  the 
fold  above ! 


20  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

II.  God's  DioeUing-place :  "  Between  tlie  clie- 
rubim." 

The  mercy-seat  stood  between  the  chenibim, 
so  that  the  words  before  us  mean,  "  Thou  that 
dwellest  upon  the  mercy-seat.'''  The  answer 
which  the  Old  Testament  gives  to  the  question, 
Where  is  God  ?  is,  Betiveen  the  clieriibim — upon 
the  mercy-seat.  The  answer  which  the  New 
Testament  gives  to  the  same  question  is,  "  God 
is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself, 
not  imputing  unto  men  their  trespasses."  (2 
Cor.  V.  19.)  God  is  on  the  mercy-seat  was  the 
joyful  news  heard  fi'om  the  tabernacle  courts. 
God  is  in  Christ  is  the  surpassingly  more  joyful 
news  heard  from  the  cross.  These  two  mean 
precisely  the  same  thing.  It  follows  that  the 
mercy-seat  was  a  type  of  Christ — one  of  the 
most  memorable  types.  The  reasons  are  these  : 
— the  mercy-seat  was  a  massive  plate  of  gold, 
which,  like  a  lid,  covered  the  ark  of  the  testi- 
mony. The  great  Puritans,  and  the  school  of 
Boston  and  the  Erskines,  saw  in  this  plate  of 
gold  a  symbol  at  once  of  the  Godhead  and  the 
sinlessness  of  Jesus.    The  two  Tables  of  the  Law 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL.  21 

were  inthe  ark ;  tlie  mercy-seat  covered  them 
and  liid  them  out  of  sight.  The  mercj-seat  was 
as  broad  as  the  tables  and  broader  :  and  thns, 
although  the  Law  is  exceeding  broad,  Christ's 
obedience  and  sufferings  imto  the  death  are 
commensurate  with  its  highest  requirements 
— they  magnified  it,  and  made  it  honorable. 
(Isa.  xlii.  21 ;  Rom.  x.  4.)  The  law  was  honored 
when  the  golden  mercy-seat  covered  it  above, 
and  the  fragrant  Shittim  wood  of  the  ark  in- 
closed it  around ;  but  it  w^as  still  more  honored 
when  Jesus  said,  "  Lo,  I  come :  in  the  volume  of 
the  book  it  is  written  of  me,  I  delight  to  do 
thy  will,  O  my  God :  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my 
heart."  (Ps.  xl.  7,  8.)  The  law  and  its  curse 
were  hid  in  the  ark.  You  could  not  have  seen 
them.  The  law  was  covered  while  mercy  was 
displayed.  How  was  it  covered  ?  By  the  mercy- 
seat.  That  broad  plate  of  massive  gold  came 
between  and  concealed  the  law  and  its  thunder 
from  your  sight.  Thus  Christ  comes  between 
us  and  the  Law's  dreadful  demands  and  unes- 
capable  terrors  to-day.  On  the  great  day  of 
Atonement,  (Lev.  xvi.)  if  you  had  entered  in. 


22  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

with  Aaron,  throiigli  tlie  veil,  into  the  most  holy 
place,  yon  conld  not  have  seen  the  law  nor 
read  its  sentence.  You  w^onld  have  seen  the 
mercy-seat  sprinkled  with  atoning  blood,  the 
cloud  of  glory  resting  upon  it,  the  cherubim 
overshadowing  it,  and  the  Shepherd  of  Israel 
dwelling  betw^een  the  cherubim,  waiting  to  be 
gracious  ;  while  Aaron,  amid  a  cloud  of  incense, 
presented  the  prayers  of  the  people  that 
thronged  the  temple  courts ;  and  fi-om  the 
golden  mercy-seat  you  would  have  heard  a 
voice  issue,  sweet  as  the  music  of  paradise — a 
voice  wdiich  was  afterwards  to  ring  round  the 
world  :  "  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together, 
saith  the  Lord :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet, 
they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow^ ;  though  they 
be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  (Isa. 
i.  18  ;  Exod.  xxv.  22.) 

So  now  God  is  in  Christ.  You  see  the  law 
and  its  curse  no  more,  for  "  there  is  now  no 
condemnation  to  them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus." 
You  see  Christ  crucified,  and  in  him  you  see  the 
law  magnified  and  its  curse  taken  away.  God 
has  set  him  forth  to  be  a  propitiation,  through 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL.  23 

faith  in  liis  blood,  and  this  propitiation,  or 
propitiatory,  is  the  mercy-seat  of  the  King 
of  kings.  Before  it  stands  our  Advocate, 
with  his  golden  censer,  and  amid  fi-agrant 
incense  which  fiUs  all  heaven,  he  presents 
our  prayer  before  his  Father.  (Heb.  iv.  16 ; 
Eev.  viii.  3.) 

Come,  then,  to  the  Shepherd  of  Israel  who 
dwells  between  the  cherubim.  No  voice  of 
doom  was  ever  heard  by  suppKant  there. 
But  remember,  there  is  no  other  meeting- 
place  with  God :  "  There  I  will  meet  with 
thee,"  and  there  only.  Not  on  Sinai,  for  the 
God  of  Sinai  is  a  consuming  fire.  Not  in  the 
outer  courts  of  the  temple,  for  it  will  profit 
you  nothing  to  be  in  Jerusalem  unless  you  see 
the  King's  face.  Above  all,  not  in  "  the  great 
cathedral  of  immensity,"  as  many  of  the  great 
and  learned  in  our  time  love  to  speak,  for  the 
universe,  with  all  its  wonders,  can  give  no 
answer  to  the  question,  "How  shall  man  be 
just  with  God?"  There  is  no  spot  on  earth 
where  guilty  man  can  meet  God  in  peace,  but 
the  mercy-seat  between  the  cherubim. 


24  THE   SHEPHERD    OF   ISEAEL. 

But  there  you  are  safe.  There  may  you 
see  the  infinite  love  and  loveliness  of  God* 
Not  elsewhere.  For  guilt  "  makes  cowards 
of  us  all."  Like  those  dense  fogs  in  London, 
which  make  the  sun  look  fiery  red,  so  the 
fear  which  guilt  plants  in  the  spirit  represents 
God,  simply  as  a  God  of  wrath  and  terror. 
And  there  is  one  red  letter  in  God's  name — 
"He  will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty."  In 
these  circumstances,  it  is  impossible  for  a 
sinner  to  see  the  inefi'able  beauty  of  his  char- 
acter. As  Chalmers  loved  to  express  it,  "For 
one  who  has  never  seen  a  beautiful  landscape, 
it  is  impossible  to  admire  it,  if  it  has  but  sud- 
denly started  into  visibility  when  illumined 
by  the  fires  of  a  volcano.  The  spectator,  in 
such  a  case,  will  feel  more  anxiety  about  liis 
safety  than  admhation  for  the  scenery  around 
him.  And  thus,  a  man  appalled  by  a  sense 
of  guilt,  and  by  *a  certain  fearful  looking  for 
of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation  which  shall 
devour  the  adversaries,'  cannot  admire  the 
character  of  God."  But,  oh !  look  to  the  Shep- 
herd of  Israel  as  dwelling  between  the  cheiii- 


THE   SHEPHEED   OF   ISRAEL.  25 

bim  —  see  how  mercy  and  truth  there  meet 
together,  how  righteousness  and  peace  have 
kissed  each  other  —  see  how  all  God's  attributes 
are  revealed  over  the  mercy-seat  like  rainbow 
hues,  and  can  you  repress  the  prayer  of  Moses 
as  he  stood  by  the  cleft  of  the  rock,  "  I  beseech 
thee,  show  me  thy  glory"  ? 

Walking  lately  along  Princes  Street  in  Edin- 
burgh, I  instinctively  turned  my  eye  to  look 
at  yon  grand  and  gTay  Castle  rock.  Seeing 
the  grim  gims  planted  round  the  battlements, 
the  thought  arose,  "  If  these  guns  were  fired, 
I  should  be  in  danger  of  being  blown  to 
atoms."  I  turned  up  the  hill,  crossed  the 
drawbridge,  entered  the  castle  gate,  and  wheel- 
ing round  to  the  left,  mounted  to  the  top 
of  the  tower.  What  did  I  see  ?  That  I  was 
heliind  the  guns,  and  that,  although  they  should 
all  open  fire  and  bombard  the  metropohs,  I 
was  safe. 

My  brother  !  as  long  as  you  are  out  of  Christ 
the  Rock  of  Ages,  God  has  planted  his  cannon 
against  3'OU.  Flee  to  him — enter  in  by  tlie 
wicket-gate,   and  you  will  find  out  the  blessed 


26  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

truth,  that  "  the  Name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strong 
tower ;  the  righteous  runneth  into  it,  and  is 
safe." 

III.  The  ChurcJis  Prayer:  "Shine  forth: 
stir  up  thy  strength,  and  come  and  save 
us." 

1.  Shine  forth  iu  token  of  thy  gracious 
presence.  Thou  seemest  to  be  angry  against 
the  prayer  of  thy  people — most  justly  mightest 
thou  be  angry.  But  as  the  dawn  chases  away 
the  darkness,  as  the  sun  breaks  forth  after  a 
dismal  tempest,  do  thou  shine  forth,  and  bring- 
to  thy  weeping  Church  a  glorious  day.  Though 
thou  wast  angry  with  us,  let  thine  anger 
be  turned  away.  Let  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
arise  on  us  with  healing  in  his  wdngs.  One 
smile  of  thy  face,  one  glimpse  of  thy  love,  would 
turn  our  mourning  to  dancing,  our  sackcloth  to 
garments  of  salvation,  our  sad  complaints  to 
gladsome  praises.  Although  we  have  eaten  the 
bread  of  tears — although  we  have  dipj)ed  our 
morsel  in  the  vinegar — although  we  have  drunk 
of  Mar  all's  bitter  waters — shine  forth,  and  our 
sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.     Shine  forth  as 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISEAEL.  27 

at  Bethel,  when  Jacob  saw  the  dream-ladder, 
with  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending 
upon  it,  and  waking,  cried,  "  This  is  none  other 
but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of 
heaven."  Shine  forth  as  at  the  completion  of 
Solomon's  temple,  when  "  the  cloud  filled  the 
house,  and  the  priests  could  not  stand  to  min- 
ister by  reason  of  the  cloud,  for  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  filled  the  house  of  God."  As  the  fire 
descended  upon  Carmel  and  consumed  Elijah's 
sacrifice,  in  token  of  thy  gracious  acceptance, 
let  it  now  descend  upon  us,  and  let  all  the 
people  cry,  with  the  same  awe-struck  reverence 
as  then,  "  The  Lord  he  is  the  God,  the  Lord  he 
is  the  God."  Shine  forth,  and  make  even  the 
dullest  feel  that  God  is  here.  What  a  new  feel- 
ing it  would  be  to  many  !  "When  earthly  royalty 
is  present  in  an  assembly,  what  an  almost 
oppressive  sense  of  awe — what  hushed  expect- 
ancy even  before  its  arrival !  But  let  the  King 
ofrkings  shine  forth  with  his  train  of  attendant 
angels — ^let  the  children  of  Zion  be  joyful  in 
their  King — let  all  the  churches  of  the  saints 
have  " light  and  gladness  and  joy  and  honey" 


28  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

— and  let  even  tlie  rebellious  draw  near  to  touch 
liis  golden  sceptre  !  * 

2.  Stir  up  iJiy  strength,  and  come  to  save 
us. 

"  Before  Epliraim,  Benjamin,  and  Manasseh." 
These  three  tribes  marched  immediately  after 
the  ark  in  the  wilderness.  So  the  meaning  is, 
that  God  would  make  bare  his  arm  in  the  sight 
of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel.  The  Church  pleads 
the  former  displays  of  God's  power,  and  asks 
for  a  renewal  of  the  same  splendid  interpositions 
of  the  Arm  for  which  nothing  is  impossible. 
"  Stir  up  thy  strength" — w^in  fresh  victories  over 
Satan,  crown  thyseK  with  fresh  spoils.  (Ps.  xlv. 
3-5 ;  Isa.  li.  9,  10.)  Our  argument  should  be  the 
same  to-day.  "Is  anything  too  hard  for  the 
Lord?"  "Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing 
incredible  with  you  that  God  should  raise  the 
dead?"     The   might   and   majesty  of  his   arm 

*  In  a  churcli  in  G we  once  saw  on  the  fly-leaf  of 

an  old  Bible,  after  tlie  name  and  date,  these  words,  writ- 
ten in  a  beautiful  hand:  ''A  day  never  to  be  forgotten." 
The  date  was  seventy  years  old.  "Ah!"  thought  we,  "on 
that  day  the  Shepherd  of  Israel  shone  forth  from  between 
the  cherubim  on  the  writer's  soul !" 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL.  29 

is  the  same  as  when  he  cut  the  sea  in  two — 
when  he  drove  back  Jordan's  waters — when 
he  made  the  dry  bones  in  Ezekiel's  valley  stand 
up  on  their  feet  an  exceeding  great  army. 
The  Church  often  uses  holy  boldness.  "  Awake, 
awake,  put  on  strength,  O  arm  of  the  Lord." 
She  speaks  as  if  this  arm  were  asleep.  Su'S, 
our  great  want  is  the  want  of  power.  It  is  not 
SO  much  better  preaching,  nor  an  exacter 
exegesis,  nor  a  profounder  theology,  that  we 
need.  It  is  the  manifestation  of  God's  power. 
"Who  hath  beheved  our  report,  and  to  whom 
is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed?"  We  need 
the  power  which  the  Son  of  God  wielded  when 
he  gave  sight  to  the  blind,  ears  to  the  deaf, 
speech  to  the  dumb,  feet  to  the  lame,  cleansing 
to  the  leper,  life  to  the  sheeted  dead ;  the  power 
which  the  angel  put  into  the  heahng  waters  of 
Bethesda ;  the  power  which  armed  the  fisher- 
man's words,  as  they  struck  across  the  street 
with  such  piercing  force,  that  three  thousand 
could  not  repress  the  cry,  "  Men  and  brethren, 
what  shall  we  do  ?"  We  need  the  power  which 
would  solemnize  the  thoughtless  in  our  congre- 


30  THE   SHEPHERD   OE  ISRAEL. 

gations,  and  rouse  those  who  are  asleep  in 
their  sins.  We  need  the  power  which  would 
turn  back  the  tide  of  Sabbath  profanation 
which  is  steadily  rising,  and  which  would  fill 
all  classes  of  the  community  with  reverence  for 
the  word  of  God.  And  when  we  look  at  the 
frequency  with  which  the  Spirit  of  glory  and 
of  God  is  promised — when  we  remember  that 
Jesus'  parting  words  to  the  eleven  were,  "Be- 
hold, I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon 
you,  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  until 
ye  be  endued  luith  j)oiuer  from  on  high  " — when 
we  see  the  frequent  fulfilments  of  the  promise 
along  the  whole  line  of  the  Church's  history, 
and  how  the  very  breath  of  God  played  around 
a  Luther,  a  Knox,  a  "Wesley,  a  Chalmers,  we 
ought  to  feel  quite  an  infinite  hopefulness  in 
lifting  up  the  prayer,  "  Stir  up  thy  strength,  and 
come  and  save  us  !  "  God  of  Pentecost,  stretch 
forth  thine  hand — use  loliat  instruments  thou  ijleas- 
esf — only  let  signs  and  wonders  be  done  in  the 
name  of  thy  Holy  Child  Jesus!  Eeveal  the 
power  which  planted  the  Christian  faith  at  first 
by  apostles  and  evangeHsts — which  planted  the 


THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 


31 


Reformed  Faith  in  Scotland  three  centuries  ago 
by  Knox  and  Melville — ^which  in  our  ot\ti  times 
has  made  many  a  wilderness  and  sohtary  place 
be  glad,  and  many  a  desert  rejoice  and  blossom 
as  the  rose ! 


POST  TENEBRAS  LUCEM   SPERO. 


II. 


THE    KING'S    DAUGHTEE. 

Ps.  xlv.  13-15. 
"The  king's  daughter  is  all  glorious  within  :  her  clothing 
is  of  wrought  gold.  She  shall  be  brought  unto  the  king  in 
raiment  of  needlework  :  the  virgins  her  companions  that  fol- 
low her  shall  be  brought  unto  thee.  With  gladness  and  re- 
joicing shall  they  be  brought  :  they  shaU  enter  into  the 
king's  palace." 


jHERE  is  a  striking  resemblance  be- 
tween this  psalm  and  the  Song  of 
r^  Solomon.  The  general  plan  of  the 
Song  is  outlined  here  by  "  the  pen  of 
the  ready  writer;"  the  filling  in  of  the  details 
Avas  left  to  Solomon — ^just  as  God  gave  David 
the  pattern  of  the  temple,  but  employed  Sol- 
omon to  build  it.  The  theme  is  the  Church's 
espousals  to  Christ,  and  it  is  illustrated  with 
a  profusion  of  gorgeous  imagery.  Its  magni- 
(32) 


THE  king's  daughtek.  33 

tilde  is  plain  from  the  fact,  that  an  entire  book 
of  the  Bible  is  devoted  to  the  unfolding  of  it, 
and  that  allusions  to  it,  hke  threads  of  gold,  run 
through  the  whole  Bible.     Consider  : 

I.  The  Bride's  neio  name — "  The  King's 
daughter." 

What  a  title,  and  what  privileges  it  involves  ! 
She  is  the  King's  daughter  for  two  reasons: 
1.  She  is  horn  of  God ;  and  2.  She  is  espoused  to 
the  Son  of  God.  She  is  the  King's  daughter  by 
birth  as  well  as  by  marriage — by  a  heavenly 
origin  as  well  as  a  heavenly  bond.  Her  dignity 
rests  both  on  blood  relationship  and  on  the 
dearest  affinity. 

Amazing  fact !  she  was  once  an  alien  and  an 
enemy.  "  Her  father  was  an  Amorite,  and  her 
mother  an  Hittite."  She  was  once  condemned 
to  die.  She  was  once  a  child  of  the  devil,  and 
bore  his  image,  did  his  work,  wore  his  hvery. 
This  is  the  state  of  all  of  us  by  nature.  "  The 
crown  is  fallen  from  our  head."  Have  you  ever 
thought,  when  Nebuchadnezzar  was  driven  from 
his  throne,  and  sent  to  herd  with  the  beasts  of 
3 


34  THE   SHEPHERD    OF  ISRAEL. 

the  field,  until  "his  hair  grew  Hke  eagles' 
feathers,  and  his  nails  like  birds'  .claws,"  with 
what  sad  surprise  must  the  passers-by  have 
looked  over  the  hedge,  and  said,  "  That  was 
a  king  once — once  he  fiUed  the  proudest  of 
earthly  thrones,  and  could  make  or  unmake 
kings  at  his  pleasure,  though  now  sunk  so  low." 
"With  still  sadder  surprise  must  angels  look 
down  from  heaven's  golden  battlements  on 
man  as  he  eats  the  husks  of  sin,  and  say,  "  That 
was  a  king  once,  though  now  so  fallen !" 

1.  But  the  day  of  regeneration  came,  and  she 
who  was  once  an  enemy  is  admitted  into  dearest 
friendship ;  she  who  was  once  condemned  is 
pardoned,  and  not  only  pardoned,  but  exalted 
to  sit  with  Christ  in  heavenly  places.  What 
dignity  is  this  !  Talk  not  of  earthly  coronets, 
of  royal  rank,  of  gentle  blood.  The  proudest 
Bourbon  or  Plantagenet  is  by  nature  a  child  of 
wrath  even  as  others ;  while  this  new  birth 
makes  the  vilest  sinner  a  child  of  God,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  royal  family  of  heaven.  "  Behold 
what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed 
upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of 


THE  king's  daughter.  35 

God."  And  as  a  Father  loves  his  children, 
admits  them  into  his  presence,  supplies  all  their 
wants,  sympathizes  with  their  sorrows,  and 
lovingly  corrects  their  faults,  so  does  God  deal 
with  his  adopted  sons  and  daughters.  They 
enjoy  "  a  Father's  pity,  a  Father's  love,  a 
Father's  open  house,  a  Father's  open  heart."  ^ 
The  Bride  of  the  Lamb,  then,  is  the  King's 
daughter  on  account  of  her  new  birth.  There 
is  royal  blood  in  her  veins. 

2.  And  then  came  the  day  of  her  espousals  to 
the  Lord  Jesus.  Once  she  was  married  to  the 
law,  but  that  marriage  is  now  dissolved.  She  is 
become  dead  to  the  law  by  the  body  of  Christ. 
(Rom.  vii.  4.  )  Her  eyes  are  opened  to  see  that 
he  is  fairer  than  the  children  of  men;  that 
naught  else  is  to  be  compared  to  him;  that 
naught  else  can  satisfy  the  heart  but  he ;  that 
naught  else  is  worthy  of  a  thought  but  he. 
"Who  would  not  part  with  farthings  for 
guineas?"  said  Eomaine.  Her  will  is  divinely 
bent  to  make  choice  of  him,  to  renounce  father 
and  mother  for  him,  to  count  all  things  loss  for 

*  Candlish's  "Fatherhood  of  God,"  p.  197. 


36  THE   SHEPHEED   OF   ISRAEL. 

liim.  Her  heart  is  drawn  to  make  a  complete 
surrender  of  herself  to  him.  "  I  love  his  j^ersoii 
as  God-man.  His  divinit}^  is  the  almighty  prop 
on  which  my  clinging  soul  would  lean,  and  on 
his  human  heart  would  I  ever  draw  for  sympa- 
thy. Here  is  the  ladder  whose  foot  rests  on  the 
earth,  whose  top  leans  against  the  jasper  waU  of 
heaven.  I  love  his  offices  as  Prophet,  Priest,  and 
King.  I  love  his  marriage  covenant — it  is 
ordered  in  all  things  and  sure.  I  love  his/elloiv- 
sliip.  Those  meetings  with  him  in  the  pavilion 
of  prayer,  those  ghmpses  of  him  through  the 
lattice,  are  the  beginnings  of  heaven.  I  love  his 
cross  ;  there  is  a  fragrance  even  about  it,  and  for 
his  sake,  hke  Simon  of  Cyrene,  I  cheerfully  bear 
it  after  him.  I  love  his  croion.  Heaven  is 
heaven  to  me,  because  he  is  there — the  Lamb 
in  the  midst  of  the  throne."  "What  things 
were  gain  to  me,  those  I  counted  loss  for 
Christ.  Yea  doubtless,  and  I  count  all  things 
but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  Jesus  my  Lord."  (Phil.  iii.  7,  8.) 

Thus  is  the  soul  espoused  to  Christ.     And 
thus,  behever,  you  are  one  with  him.     You  lose 


THE  king's  daughter.  37 

your  indivicluality  in  liim.  You  take  his  name. 
(Compare  Jer.  xxiii.  6  with  xxxiii.  16.)  You  are 
crucified  with  him,  buried  with  him,  risen  with 
him  to  newness  of  hfe.  You  sit  together  with 
him  in  heavenly  places,  and,  like  ajeiuel  hid  in  a 
double  case,  your  Hfe  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God ; 
and  when  he  who  is  your  life  shall  appear,  you 
also  shall  appear  with  him  in  glory. 

n.  The  Bride's  cJiarader  —  "All  glorious 
within." 

There  is  a  wide  difference  between  "the 
golden  and  the  gilded,"  between  the  golden 
jewel  and  the  gilded  trinket.  Grace  is  different 
from  what  Fraser  of  Brea  styles  "  gilded  grace." 
A  hypocrite  may  be  all  glorious  mthout.  There 
may  be  the  gilding  of  a  sound  creed,  a  fair  pro- 
fession, a  blameless  life,  and  many  a  charitable 
deed,  while  Satan,  in  some  gTiise  or  other,  holds 
the  throne  of  the  heart.  The  inexperienced  eye 
cannot  distinguish  the  gold  from  its  gilded 
counterfeit ;  but  when  the  day  of  trial  comes — 
"the  Befiner's  day" — the  gildmg  falls  off,  and 
the  hypocrite  is    unmasked.     But  the  King's 


38  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

claiigliter  is  all  glorious  within ;  she  has  bought 
of  Christ  "gold  tried  in  the  fire,  and  she  is 
rich."  The  difference  between  the  saint  and 
the  hypocrite  may  be  stated  thus  :  The  deeper 
you  pierce  below  the  surface  with  a  hypocrite, 
the  worse  he  becomes ;  the  deeper  you  pierce 
below  the  surface  with  a  saint,  the  better  he 
becomes,  until,  when  you  reach  the  heart,  you 
find  Christ  reigning  upon  the  throne,  you  find 
that  he  is  all  glorious  within. 

It  will  be  asked,  "When  so  much  corruption, 
so  many  deadly  roots  of  sin,  remain  in  every 
child  of  God,  how  can  he  be  said  to  be  all  glo- 
rious within  ?  We  here  touch  upon  the  dreadful 
mystery  of  indwelling  sin ;  but  we  ask,  in  reply, 
Was  Job,  then,  not  a  saint  when  he  said,  "I 
have  heard  of  thee  with  the  hearing  of  the  ear, 
but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee  :  wherefore  I 
abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes "  ? 
Was  David  not  a  saint  when  he  cried,  "My 
loins  are  full  of  a  loathsome  disease,  and  there 
is  no  soundness  in  my  flesh  "  ?  Was  Paul  not  a 
saint  when  a  sense  of  inveterate  sinfulness 
wrung  the  groan  from  his  heart,  "  O  wretched 


THE  king's  daughtee.  39 

man  tliat  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the 
body  of  this  death?"- 

The  King's  daughter  is  all  glorious  within  for 
two  reasons : 

1.  Because  Christ  reigns  on  the  throne  of  her 
heart.  That  heart  which  was  once  "the  habita- 
tion of  devils,  and  a  cage  of  every  unclean  and 
hateful  bird,"  has  surrendered  to  him.  In  a  day 
of  power,  his  voice  is  heard,  "  Lift  up  your  heads, 
ye  gates ;  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors,  and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in." 
Every  bar  is  forced,  the  door  swings  upon  its 
hinges,  the  King  of  glory  enters,  and  possesses 
the  throne. 

In  Sutherlandshire  there  lived,  in  the  last  age, 
one  of  those  holy  ministers  whose  names  still 
survive  as  a  fragrant  reminiscence.  He  cate- 
chised the  families  of  his  flock  every  year. 
Catechising  one  day  at  a  farm-house,  when  the 

*  The  Puritans  threw  some  light  upon  this  point  by  the 
statement  in  Lev.  xiii.  12,  13 — "If  the  leprosy  cover  the 
whole  body  from  head  to  foot,  the  priest  shall  pronounce  the 
leper  clean " — the  reason  being,  that  the  seat  of  life  was 
sound  and  strong,  and  able  to  throw  off  the  disease.  So  if 
the  war  with  sin  is  in  the  memhers,  this  is  an  evidence  that 
its  dominion  in  the  heart  is  broken. 


40  THE   SHEPHERD    OF   ISRAEL. 

busy  lioiiseliold  were  assembled,  lie  asked  tlie 
master  of  the  house  whether  all  were  present. 
"All,"  said  the  other,  "except  the  httle  girl 
who  tends  the  cattle."  "Call  her,"  said  the 
minister.  The  master  hesitated,  but  the  minis- 
ter would  not  proceed  until  she  came.  Every 
one  was  catechised  in  turn.  The  little  girl  was 
asked,  "  Have  you  a  soul  ?"  "  No,"  said  she, 
with  a  slow,  serious  voice.  "Have  you  never 
had  a  soul?"  said  the  minister,  nothing  puzzled 
by  the  seemingly  unfortunate  answer.  "  Yes," 
she  replied.  "What  became  of  it?"  "One 
day  lately,"  said  she,  "  when  keeping  the  cattle. 
I  felt  my  soul  very  ill.  '  The  sorrows  of  death 
compassed  me,  and  the  pains  of  hell  gat  hold 
upon  me.'  I  did  not  know  what  to  do.  I 
prayed  and  wept,  but  my  soul  was  no  better. 
At  last  I  resolved  to  give  it  away  to  Jesus.  I 
gave  it  to  him.  He  took  it,  and  he  has  it  still. 
That's  what  I  mean  by  saying  that  I  have  not  a 
soul." 

2.  Because  she  is  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
As  the  cloud  rested  on  the  holy  of  holies,  the 
Spirit     dwells     in    the     living    temple.       He 


THE   king's   daughter.  41 

abides  witli  the  believer  forever.  "  The  blessed 
Spirit,"  says  Matthew  Henry,  "iisetli  not  to 
change  his  lodging ;"  and  wherever  he  dwells, 
he  will  not  cease  his  work  until  the  soul  is 
changed  into  Christ's  image  from  glory  to  glory. 
Ah,  this  makes  the  King's  daughter  all  glorious 
within !  No  doubt  iniquities  prevail  against 
her  ;  the  conflict  between  grace  and  sin  is  long 
and  sore.  "I  am  like  the  caterpillar,"  (we 
quote  the  touching  words  of  the  late  Dr.  Cold- 
stream,) "  which,  having  cast  its  old  skin,  abhors 
it,  but  is  yet  too  feeble  to  creep  away  fi-om  it :  it 
must  wait  till  God  shall  give  the  necessary 
strength."  The  spark  of  grace  often  seems  lost 
in  a  sea  of  corruption,  but  the  indweUing  of  the 
Spirit  is  a  gmarantee  that  grace  in  the  end  will 
overcome  ;  that  the  house  of  David  will  grow 
stronger  and  stronger,  and  the  house  of  Saul 
weaker  and  weaker.  In  the  hour  of  death  the 
top-stone  is  put  upon  the  work  of  sanctification. 
The  soul  receives  its  last  baptism  in  the  Holy 
Spirit's  fire,  and  then,  without  spot  or  wrin- 
kle, it  joins  the  spirits  of  the  just  ma,de  per- 
fect. 


42  THE  SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

III.  The  Bride's  raiment — "  Wrought  gold — 
needlework." 

The  richest  material  embroidered  with  the 
most  exquisite  skill.  It  is  a  robe  which  angels 
might  envy,  exceeding  white  as  snow — a  robe  in 
which  the  wearer  can  stand  unchallenged  before 
the  throne — a  robe  which  will  shine  like  the  sun 
forever. 

What  is  this  clothing  of  wrought  gold — this 
raiment  of  needlework  ?  The  rigliteousness  of 
Christ ;  in  other  words,  his  perfect  obedience 
and  his  atoning  death. 

1.  m^  perfect  ohecUence.  He  was  made  under 
the  law.  The  law  was  in  his  heart.  He  ren- 
dered it  divine  obedience.  He  satisfied  it  in  all 
the  exceeding  breadth  and  spirituality  of  its 
demands.  At  every  step  from  the  manger  to 
the  cross — every  day  of  those  incomparable 
thirty-three  years — he  "  magnified  it  and  made 
it  honorable."  And  when  you  remember  that 
he  who  rendered  this  perfect  and  plenary 
obedience  was  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  and 
invisible,  you  will  see  how  his  obedience  shed  a 
new  lustre   upon  the   law   in   the   eyes   of  all 


THE  king's  daughter.  43 

worlds,  so  that  it  was  more  honored  by  the 
obedience  of  Christ  alone,  than  it  had  been 
dishonored  by  all  the  sins  ever  committed ; 
or .  (in  the  words  of  a  great  writer)  that,  "  in 
virtue  of  Christ's  obedience,  it  was  inshrined  in 
more  august  and  inviolable  sacredness  than 
if  Adam  had  never  fallen."  Divine  obedience  is 
far  higher  than  angelic.  This  is  the  obedience 
by  which  the  Royal  Bride  is  made  righteous. 
This  is  the  robe  of  needlework  in  which  she  will 
enter  the  King's  palace.  It  cost  her  elder 
Brother  thirty-three  years  of  spotless  obedience 
to  embroider  it. 

2.  His  atoning  deatJi.  This  is  the  complement 
of  his  perfect  obedience.  It  was  necessary  not 
only  to  magnify  the  law  by  obedience,  but  to 
make  reconciliation  for  the  sins  of  the  people. 
"  The  Lord  laid  upon  him.  the  iniquity  of  us 
an."  The  deep  arrears  must  be  paid.  "  He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities  :  the  chastisement  of 
our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes 
we  are  healed."  He  "  finished  transgression, 
made   an  end  of  sin,   made  reconciliation  for 


44  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

iniquity,  and  brought  in  everlasting  right- 
eousness." "  It  is  finished."  Oh,  blessed  death, 
that  procured  for  us  everlasting  life !  Blessed 
satisfaction,  that  left  us  nothing  to  do  tut 
accept,  with  tears  of  joy,  the  unspeakable  gift 
of  God!  Blessed  cross,  that  purchased  for 
us  crowns  of  glory!  Blessed  sorrow,  that 
brought  us  songs  of  joy !  Blessed  grave,  in 
which  our  sins  are  buried  forever ! 

But  this  righteousness  must  be  imputed  to 
us.  We  must  be  clothed  with  it.  We  must  be 
wrapped  in  it  from  head  to  foot.  In  a  "  Direc- 
tory for  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,"  by  Anselm, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  in  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury, the  following  remarkable  words  occur 
(Owen  on  Justification,  Clark's  ed.,  p.  17) : 
"Dost  thou  believe  that  thou  canst  not  be 
saved  but  by  the  death  of  Christ?  The  sick 
man  answers  '  Yes.'  Then  let  it  be  said  to  him, 
'Go  to  then,  and  whilst  thy  soul  abideth  in 
thee,  put  aU  thy  confidence  in  this  death  alone, 
place  thy  trust  in  no  other  thing ;  commit 
thyself  wholly  to  this  death :  cover  thyself 
wholly  with  this  alone ;  cast  thyself  wholly  on 


THE  king's  daughter.  45 

this  death  ;  wrap  thyself  wholly  m  this  cleaili,' 
And  if  God  would  judge  thee,  say,  '  Lord,  I 
place  the  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be- 
tween me  and  thy  judgment,  and  otherwise  I 
will  not  contend  or  enter  into  judgment  with 
thee.'  And  if  he  shall  say  unto  thee  that  thou 
art  a  sinner,  say,  '  I  place  the  death  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  between  me  and  my  sins.'  And  if 
he  shall  say  to  thee  that  thou  hast  deserved 
damnation,  say,  '  Lord,  I  put  the  death  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  between  thee  and  all  my 
sins,  and  I  offer  his  merits  for  my  own,  which 
I  should  have,  and  have  not.'  And  if  he  shall 
say  that  he  is  angry  with  thee,  say,  '  Lord,  I 
place  the  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be- 
tween me  and  thy  anger.'  "  These  men  under- 
stood the  subject  of  imputed  righteousness. 

"Christ's  blood  and  righteousness 
Shall  be  the  marriage  dress, 
In  which  I'll  stand 
At  God's  right  hand, 

Forgiven, 
And  enter  rest 
Among  the  blest 

In  heaven."  * 

*  German  hymn. 


46  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

lY.  The  Bride's  companions— '' Yirgin^  that 
follow  her." 

These  are  members  of  the  Church,  but  the 
jQgm^e  of  a  bridal  train  is  employed  to  sustain 
the  allegory.  "What  a  bright  train  the  Eoyal 
Bride  will  have  as  she  goes  forth  to  meet  the 
Bridegroom !  Kings'  daughters  will  be  there, 
for  every  crowned  head  on  earth  shall  one  day 
bow  at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  The  daughter  of 
Tyre  shall  be  there — Tyre,  the  ancient  empor 
rium  of  the  nations — to  show  that  the  merchan- 
dise of  the  world  shall  be  holiness  to  the  Lord. 
The  kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts. 
Jews  and  Gentiles  will  be  there — representa- 
tives from  all  peoples,  and  tongues,  and  nations. 
"There  are  threescore  queens,  and  fourscore 
concubines,  and  virgins  without  number."  From 
the  most  unlikely  places  they  come,'" — from  the 
snows   of    Lapland,    and    the    sunny   skies   of 

*  A  friend  of  ours,  lately  sojouruing  at  Nice,  met  two 
Christian  ladies  from  Russia.  The  name  of  M'Cheyne  was 
mentioned.  "  Oh,  tell  your  friends  at  home,"  said  they, 
"how  highly  M'Cheyne's  writings  are  prized,  and  how 
tenderly  his  name  is  cherished,  by  God's  people,  in 
Russia  !" 


THE  king's  daughtee.  47 

Italy — from  the  four  Continents  of  the  world, 
they  join  the  shining  train,  as  it  sweeps  past 
to  the  King's  palace — a  multitude  more  and 
brighter  than  the  stars  in  the  Milky  Way.  Will 
you  not  join  it?  When  so  many  will  be  saved, 
will  you  not  be  among  the  many  ? 

They  are  virgins.  They  keep  themselves  un- 
spotted from  the  world.  They  are  weaned  fi'om 
its  idols ;  they  dread  its  contaminations.  Their 
first  care  is  to  preserve  the  whiteness  of  their 
souls  by  daily  washing  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb.  Their  lamps  are  trimmed ;  their  vessels 
are  filled  with  oil.  '*  Thou  hast  a  few  names 
even  in  Sardis  which  have  not  defiled  their 
garments;  and  they  shall  walk  with  me  in 
white  :  for  they  are  worthy."  (Eev.  iii.  4.) 

They  follow  the  Koyal  Bride.  They  keep  by 
her  side  in  storm  and  sunshine.  They  follow 
her  in  the  regeneration.  They  follow  her  in 
the  search  after  her  Beloved.  (Song  iii.  2,  3.) 
They  follow  her  to  the  green  pastures  and 
the  still  waters.  They  follow  her  without  the 
camp,  bearing  his  reproach.  Like  Buth,  they 
leave  father  and  mother  to  follow  her.     (Buth 


48  THE   SHEPHERD    OF  ISRAEL. 

i.  16.)  Like  Caleb,  they  follow  the  Lord  fully. 
When  a  crisis  comes,  and  the  question,  "  Who 
is  on  the  Lord's  side?"  involves  heavy  issues, 
and  hollow-hearted  professors  fly  away  like 
swallows  before  the  storm,  they  follow  her. 
When  persecution  comes,  and  Christ's  faithful 
witnesses  have  to  prophesy  clothed  in  sack- 
cloth, and  perhaps  to  x^^ss  through  a  baptism 
of  blood  to  the  crown,  they  follow  her :  like 
Peden,  when — the  bloodhounds  of  persecution 
in  full  chase  after  him,  and  the  lone  moor  his 
home — he  thought  of  Eichard  Cameron  gone 
to  glory,  and  sighed,  "  Oh,  to  be  with  Richie  !"• 

V.  The  Bride's  home-going. 

"She  shall  be  brought  unto  the  king  in 
raiment  of  needlework  .  .  .  with  gladness  and 
rejoicing  shall  they  be  brought :  they  shall  enter 
into  the  king's  palace." 

Now  she  is  busy,  like  a  betrothed  one,  ]3re- 
paring  for  the  bridal-day — sometimes  bright 
with  hope,  but  oftener  mourning  her  unreadi- 
ness to  meet  her  Lord.  She  looks  for  him. 
She  forgets  her  people  and  her  father's  house 


THE  king's  daughter.  49 

for  liim.  Slie  corresponds  with  liira.  She 
cries,  "Until  the  day  break  and  the  shadows 
flee  away,  turn,  my  beloved :  and  be  thou  like 
a  roe,  or  a  young  hart  upon  the  mountains  of 
Bether."  Now  the  Yoyage  is  rough  and  the 
tempest  is  high,  and,  with  "neither  sun  nor 
stars  in  many  days  appearing,"  sometimes  "  all 
hope  of  being  saved  is  taken  away :"  at  last 
the  shores  of  Emmanuel's  Land  appear — angels 
stand  beckoning — and  the  Eoyal  Bride  enters 
into  the  haven. 

Site  sliall  see  the  King  in  his  beauty.  There 
•^vin  be  a  personal  meeting.  Here  the  marriage, 
like  aU  royal  marriages,  is  arranged  by  ambassa- 
dors. Joseph  only  speaks  by  an  interpreter, 
and  sometimes  speaks  roughly.  She  cannot  see 
Jesus  face  to  face  now.  But  at  last  he  wiU 
come  out  of  the  ivory  palaces,  and  she  shall  be 
caught  up  to  meet  him  in  the  clouds.  These 
eyes  shall  see  him — these  arms  shah  embrace 
him — these  ears  sbaU  hear  the  music  of  his 
voice.  Oh,  it  was  sweet  to  hear  him  say, 
"  Come  unto  me,  aU  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will   give  you  rest;"    but 


50  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

sweeter  will  it  be  to  liear  tlie  joyful  welcome 
from  tlie  throne,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  !" 

There  iviU  he  an  open  dedaration  of  Ms  love  to 
her  before  all  icorlds.  Cliiist's  love  is  yery  com- 
municative. (Ps.  XXV.  14.)  As  it  is  on  earth, 
the  parties  are  mutually  pledged  before  the 
marriage,  but  no  one  know  s  it  except  the  family 
and  a  few^  friends  ;  when  the  marriage  conies,  it 
is  published  to  the  world.  Thus  souls  are  es- 
poused to  Jesus  now  by  the  ministry  of  the  gos- 
pel, but  few  know  it — sometimes  they  hardly 
know  it  themselves,  by  reason  of  dark  clouds 
and  shadows.  But  then  the  King  wall  say  from 
his  throne,  "These  are  my  jewels — this  is  my 
Bride  !  For  her  I  lay  in  the  manger — for  her  I 
hung  upon  the  cross — for  her  I  lay  in  the  grave. 
In  a  day  of  power,  I  espoused  her  to  myself ;  I 
drew  her  with  cords  of  love !" 

"With  gladness  and  rejoicing  shall  they  be 
brought."  Where  are  her  tears  and  sorrows 
now  ?  Where  are  her  rags  and  deformities  now  ? 
Where  are  the  black  spots  she  daily  mourned 
over  now?  Where  are  her  cares  and  crosses 
now?     Where  is  the  shame   she  bore  for  the 


THE   king's   daughter.  51 

name  of  Jesus  now?  "Tliey  shall  enter  into 
the  King's  palace."  No  sin  yonder!  No  weep- 
ing, no  harp  on  the  willows  yonder!  No 
tempter  yonder !  No  partings  yonder !  "  And 
so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord." 

"  Now  while  they  were  dramng  tow^ards  the 
gate,  behold  a  company  of  the  heavenly  host 
came  out  to  meet  them  ;  to  whom  it  was  said  by 
the  two  shining  ones,  These  are  the  men  that 
have  loved  onr  Lord  when  they  were  in  the 
world,  and  that  have  forsaken  all  for  his  holy 
name  ;  and  he  hath  sent  us  to  fetch  them,  and 
we  have  brought  them  thus  far  on,  their  desired 
journey,  that  they  may  go  in  and  look  their 
Kedeemer  in  the  face  with  joy.  Then  the  heav- 
enly host  gave  a  great  shout,  saying,  '  Blessed 
are  they  that  are  called  to  the  marriage-supper 
of  the  Lamb."  (Eev.  xix.  9.)  There  came  out 
also  at  this  time  to  meet  them  several  of  the 
King's  trumpeters,  clothed  in  white  and  shining 
raiment,  who,  with  melodious  voices,  made  even 
the  heavens  to  echo  with  their  sound.  These 
trumpeters  saluted  Christian  and  his  fellow  with 
ten  thousand  welcomes  from  the  world,  and  this 


52  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

they  did  with  shouting  and  sound  of  trumpet. 
.  .  .  Thus  they  came  uj)  to  the  gate.  Now 
when  they  were  come  up  to  the  gate,  there  was 
written  over  it  in  letters  of  gold,  '  Blessed  are 
they  that  do  his  commandments,  that  they  may 
have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  in 
through  the  gates  into  the  city.' 

"  Now  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  these  two  men 
went  in  at  the  gate;  and  lo,  as  they  entered, 
they  were  transfigured,  and  they  had  raiment 
put  on  that  shone  like  gold.  There  were  also 
some  that  met  them  with  haips  and  crowns,  and 
gave  them  the  harps  to  praise  withal,  and 
the  crowns  in  token  of  honor.  Then  all  the 
bells  in  the  city  rang  again  for  joy,  and  it  was 
said  unto  them,  *  Enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  the 
Lord.'  I  also  heard  the  men  themselves  sing 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  ^Blessing,  honor, 
glory,  and  power  be  to  him  that  sitteth  upon 
the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and 
ever ! ' 

"  Now,  just  as  the  gates  were  opened  to  let  in 
the  men,  I  looked  in  after  them,  and  behold  the 
city  shone  like  the  sun  :  the  streets  also  were 


THE  king's  daughter.  63 

paved  with  gold,  and  in  tliem  walked  many  men 
with  crowns  on  their  heads,  and  palms  in  their 
hands,  and  golden  harps  to  sing  praises  withal. 
There  were  also  those  that  had  wings,  and  they 
answered  one  another  without  intermission, 
saying,  *  Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord.'  And 
after  that  they  shut  up  the  gates :  which,  when 
I  had  seen,  I  wished  myself  among  them ! " 

**  Angel  voices  sweetly  singing, 
Echoes  through  the  blue  dome  ringing, 
News  of  wondrous  gladness  bringing, 
Ah  !  'tis  heaven  at  last ! 

♦'Sin  forever  left  behind  us, 
Earthly  visions  cease  to  blind  us, 
Fleshly  fetters  cease  to  bind  us. 
Ah  !  'tis  heaven  at  last ! 

"  On  the  jasper  threshold  standing. 
Like  a  pilgrim  safely  landing. 
See  the  strange,  bright  scene  expanding — 
Ah  !  'tis  heaven  at  last ! 

**  Christ  himself,  the  living  splendor, 
Christ  the  sunhght,  mild  and  tender, 
Praises  to  the  Lamb  we  render — 
Ah !  'tis  heaven  at  last !" 

rUIMUS  — ERIMUS.    (The  Jews'  Motto.) 


Ill 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE. 

2  Sam.  xxiii.  5. 
' '  Altliotigli  my  house  be  not  so  with  God  ;  yet  he  hath 
made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in  all  things, 
and  snre  :  for  this  is  all  my  salvation,  and  all  my  desire, 
although  he  make  it  not  to  grow." 


HESE  were  the  last  words  of  David — 
the  words  he  uttered  before  his  spirit 
took  its  flight  to  join  the  general  as- 
"^  sembly  of  the  redeemed.  The  words 
of  the  dying  are  heard  with  breathless  attention. 
We  listen  reverently  to  the  voice  we  shall  soon 
hear  no  more.  And  they  are  long  remembered. 
To  this  day  we  remember  Jacob's  dying  words 
as  he  calmly  gathered  np  his  feet  into  the  bed, 
"I  have  waited  for  thy  salvation,  O  Lord." 
We  remember  Moses'  grand  farewell  words  ere 

(54) 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       55 

he  went  up  to  tlie  top  of  Pisgali  to  die,  "  Happy 
art  thou,  O  Israel;  who  is  hke  unto  thee,  O 
people,  saved  by  the  Lord!"  We  remember 
the  heavenly  smile  that  played  on  old  Simeon's 
face  as  he  took  the  Babe  in  his  arms  and  said, 
"  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  according  to  thy  word :  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  thy  salvation."  And  who  can  forget 
Pc'tul's  dying  testimony?  In  his  cold  cell  at 
Rome,  with  the  four  walls  of  a  dungeon  around 
him,  and  a  bloody  death  before  him,  his  eye 
kindled  with  the  light  of  heaven  as  he  wrote,  "  I 
am  now  read}'  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought  a  good 
fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the 
faith.  Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day  :  and 
not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them  also  that  love 
his  appearing." 

Our  subject  is  the  dying  testimony  of  Da- 
vid. Let  us  deeply  ponder  the  words  spoken 
on  that  calm,  bright  death-bed.  Wo  have 
here : 


56  THE   SHEPHERD   OE  ISRAEL. 

I.  The  cloud  upon  David's  liouse — "  Although 
my  house  be  not  so  with  God." 

II.  The  sunshine  in  God's  covenant — "Yet  he 
hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant," 
etc. 

I.   The  clo^id  upon  David's  liouse. 

Every  saint  has  a  cloud  of  some  kind  hang- 
ing over  his  house.  God's  dealings  with  his 
children  resemble  the  coat  of  many  colors 
which  Jacob  gave  Joseph  as  a  proof  of  his 
peculiar  love.  Crosses  and  comforts,  trials  and 
triumphs,  dark  dispensations  and  bright,  are  in- 
terwoven with  divine  grace  and  skill  into  a 
many-colored  web.  David  was  no  exception. 
What  a  splendid  career  he  ran,  and  yet  how 
checkered!  A  shepherd-boy  in  Bethlehem,  he 
is  anointed  by  Samuel  as  Israel's  future  king ; 
he  slays  Gohath  and  achieves  a  deathless  name ; 
he  becomes  the  king's  son-in-law  ;  he  is  on  the 
steps  of  the  throne.  Then  Saul's  jealousy  pur- 
sues him ;  he  is  hunted  as  a  partridge  upon  the 
mountains ;  for  seven  years  he  is  a  poor,  home- 
less wanderer,  with  but  a  step  between  him  and 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       57 

death.  He  ascends  the  throne,  and  the  Phihs- 
tmes,  Moabites,  Edomites,  harass  him  by  turns ; 
the  sons  of  Zerniah  plot  against  him ;  his  hfe  is 
one  continual  storm  of  battle, — then  comes  his 
sad  fall,  followed  quiclily  by  the  awful  outbreaks 
in  his  family  and  the  revolt  of  Absalom.  And 
as  his  sun  sets  among  dark  clouds,  he  says  with 
a  heavy  sigh,  "  My  house  is  not  so  with  God." 
Not  as  I  wished  it  to  be.  Not  as  I  fondly  hoped 
it  to  be.    Not  as  I  often  prayed  it  might  be. 

Three  elements  conspired  to  make  the  cloud 
upon  David's  house  very  dark. 

1.  The  state  of  his  family.  The  man  after 
God's  own  heart  had  trained  his  children  in  the 
fear  of  God.  We  have  his  charge  to  Solomon 
on  record,  "  And  thou,  Solomon  my  son,  know 
thou  the  God  of  thy  father,  and  serve  him  with 
a  perfect  heart  and  with  a  willing  mind." 
(1  Chron.  xxviii.  9.)  The  wise  king  tells  how 
carefully  his  father  had  trained  him,  "  I  was  my 
father's  son,  tender  and  only  beloved  in  the 
sight  of  my  mother.  He  taught  me  also,  and 
said  unto  me,  Let  thine  heart  retain  my  words  : 
keep  my  commandments,  and    live."  (Prov.  iv. 


58  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

3,  4.)  And  no  doubt  lie  took  equal  pains  witli 
the  rest.  The  sweet  Psalmist  of  Israel  wonld 
teach  his  sons  to  sing  the  praises  of  God.  His 
palace  would  resound  to  the  strains  of  that 
cunning  harp  Avliose  melody  breathed  of  heaven. " 
He  who  felt  a  day  in  God's  courts  to  be  better 
than  a  thousand  would  bring  his  sons  thither. 
He  would  bring  them  to  the  altar  of  God,  unto 
God  his  exceeding  joy.  He  would  show  them 
the  white-robed  priests  offering  the  lambs  of 
daily  sacrifice  morning  and  evening.  He  would 
bring  them  to  the  solemn  feasts  when  the  thou- 
sands of  Israel  were  assembled.  They  saw  the 
blood  of  the  passover-lamb  sprinkled  on  the 
door  of  his  palace.  Besides,  God  had  promised 
to  make  him  an  house.  "  Thou  hast  spoken  of 
thy  servant's  house  for  a  great  while  to  come." 
(2  Sam.  vii.  19.)  So  that  David's  heart  was  set 
on  the  prosperity  of  his  house.  He  hoped  to 
see  his  sons  rising  up  a  godly  and  a  princely 
race.  Who  can  describe  his  disappointment? 
He  saw^  them  casting  off  the  fear  of  God  ;  giving 
loose  reins  to  their  lusts ;  his  first-born  Amnon 
committing  deeds  which  it  is  impossible  to  read 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       59 

witlioiifc  the  bliisli  of  infinite  shame,  and  then 
murdered  by  his  brother ;  Absalom  a  murderer, 
an  adulterer,  a  traitor,  hurried  into  eternity  in 
the  midst  of  his  sins,  leaving  his  father  to  ciy 
with  bleeding,  angTiished  heart,  "  O  my  son  Ab- 
salom !  my  son,  my  son  Absalom !  would  God  I 
had  died  for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son !" 
And — his  house  turned  into  a  chamber  of 
horrors,  its  glory  almost  utterly  tarnished — he 
was  now  dying.  No  wonder  that  he  cried 
bitterly,  "  Although  my  house  be  not  so  with 
God." 

To  a  godly  parent  there  is  no  such  heart- 
break as  a  godless  child.  The  cruelty  of 
Simeon  and  Levi  planted  a  thorn  in  Jacob's 
dying  pillow.  "  A  foolish  son  is  a  grief  to  his 
father,  and  bitterness  to  her  that  bare  him." 
Christian  parents!  let  us  train  up  our  children 
for  God,  let  us  daily  pray  for  their  conversion  by 
name,  lest  their  sins  be  a  cloud  upon  our  homes. 

2.  The  state  of  the  Church.  One  of  David's 
great  aims  was  to  build  a  temple  to  the  Lord — 
to  have  the  Ark  inshrined  in  a  palace  of  gold 
and    cedar.      His    soul   was   on   fire   with   the 


60  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

thought,  and  he  was  willing  to  make  any  sac- 
rifices for  it.  He  could  live  in  a  tent  himself — 
often  in  time  of  war  had  he  slept  on  the  tented 
field,  the  sod  his  couch  and  a  stone  his  pillow ; 
but  he  could  not  rest  in  a  house  of  cedar  while 
the  Ark  of  God  dwelt  between  curtains.  He 
wished  to  make  this  the  work  of  his  life.  He 
prayed  for  light,  and  God  gave  him  the  pattern 
of  the  house  in  writing,  and  made  him  under- 
stand it.  The  Spirit  of  God  showed  him  the 
courts  and  holy  places,  the  altar  of  burnt-offer- 
ing and  the  altar  of  incense,  and  all  the  elabo- 
rate details  of  that  glorious  shrine.  And  amid 
wars  and  troubles  he  prepared  abundantly 
before  his  death.  He  gave  three  thousand  tal- 
ents of  gold  and  seven  thousand  talents  of  sUver 
out  of  the  royal  treasury.  He  stirred  up  the 
people  ;  and  like  fire  in  a  prairie  his  holy  zeal 
spread  through  the  whole  congregation  of 
Israel,  so  that  they  gave  five  thousand  talents 
of  gold  and  ten  thousand  talents  of  silver.  He 
never  ceased  making  preparations  as  long  as 
he  lived.  And  yet  he  who  planted  the  stars  in 
heaven — some  to  blaze  in  the  zenith  and  some 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       61 

to  twinkle  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon,  had 
ordained  that  Solomon  and  not  David  should 
build  the  temple.  David  received  the  pattern, 
provided  the  materials,  stirred  up  the  people, 
and  had  all  things  m  readiness ;  Solomon  built 
the  house.  "  Whereas  it  was  in  thine  heart  to 
build  an  house  unto  my  name,  thou  didst  well 
that  it  was  in  thine  heart :  nevertheless  thou 
shalt  not  build  the  house ;  but  thy  son  shall 
build  the  house  unto  my  name."  (1  Kings  viii. 
18,  19.) 

No  doubt  David  bowed  to  God's  gracious 
ordination ;  and  yet  did  not  a  shade  of  disap- 
pointment cross  his  spirit  ?  Did  he  not  feel  like 
Moses  on  the  top  of  Pisgah  when  God  told  him 
that  he  could  not  enter  into  the  land  on  which 
he  gazed  so  wistfully  ?  "  Is  my  hope,  then,  to 
be  blasted  :  is  the  object  so  long  dearest  to  my 
heart  not  to  be  reahzed ;  and  must  I  go  down 
to  the  grave  without  seeing  the  Ark  inshrined 
in  a  glorious  temple  in  Jerusalem  ?  The  great 
desire  of  my  Hfe  was  to  build  an  house  to  the 
Lord.  I  could  be  a  houseless  wanderer  myself ; 
but  I  dearly  wished  to  'find  a  place  for  the 


62  THE   SHEPHEED   OF   ISRAEL. 

Lord,  an  habitation  for  the  Mighty  God  of 
Jacob.'  Often  have  I  prayed  for  this,  and  all 
seemed  ready.  But  I  must  die  without  seeing 
my  deepest  wish  fulfilled.  '  My  house  is  not  so 
with  God.' " 

Now  this  is  often  the  experience  of  a  child 
of  God.  A  young  disciple  is  on  fire  to  build 
a  temple  to  the  Lord.  It  is  the  one  desire 
of  his  life.  He  prepares  abundantly  for  it. 
He  devotes  himself  perhaps  to  the  ministry,  and 
gives  no  sleep  to  his  eyes  and  no  slumber  to 
his  eyelids.  And  when  he  is  ready  to  begin  to 
build,  God  accepts  the  will  for  the  deed,  and 
calls  him  away  to  his  blessed  rest  in  the  Lord. 
"  Thou  slialt  not  build  me  an  house."  Many 
bright  examples  could  be  cited  from  the  annals 
of  Christian  biography.  Ah!  it  costs  a  sore 
struggle  meekly  to  learn  that — 

"His  state 
Is  kingly  ;  thousands  at  his  bidding  speed, 
And  post  o'er  land  and  ocean  without  rest ; 
They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  loait" 

Need  I  tell  how  Melanchthon  hoped  to  build 
a  temple,  and  labored  with  heart  aglow  to  raise 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       63 

living  stones  from  amid  tlie  dnst  and  rubbisli  of 
a  fallen  world,  and  found,  after  years  of  com- 
paratively fruitless  toil,  tliat  "  Old  Adam  was 
too  hard  for  young  Melanclithon."  And  the  same 
experience  occurs  in  another  form.  There  is  a 
floodtime  of  the  Spirit.  The  river  of  God,  which 
is  full  of  water,  pours  its  fertilizing  inundation 
over  the  land.  You  hope  that  the  temple  is  to 
be  immediately  built,  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  immediately  to  appear.  There  is  a  shaking 
among  the  dry  bones — every  church  is  a  Bochim 
— there  is  a  solemnity  in  the  very  streets — the 
tranquil  things  of  eternity  are  brought  very 
near ;  even  secular  journals  take  notice  of  it. 
There  are  cases  of  awakening  in  your  own  Sab- 
bath class.  You  hope  to  see  the  temple  built, 
and  to  take  some  Httle  part  in  building  it.  But, 
alas,  here  and  there  the  tide  recedes — the  world 
and  the  devil  regain  their  old  ascendency — many 
who  promised  well  return  hke  "  the  dog  to  his 
vomit,  and  like  the  sow  that  was  washed  to  her 
wallowing  in  the  mire ;"  and  you  say,  in  bitter 
disappointment,  "  My  house  is  not  so  with  God." 
3.  The   deaths t niggle  loitli  sin.      David    had 


64  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

sore  combats  with  sin.  The  old  man  in  him 
was  strong,  and  often  caused  worse  than  mortal 
anguish.  "  My  loins  are  filled  with  a  loathsome 
disease."  (Ps.  xxxviii.  7.)  Satan  had  smitten  him 
down  to  the  ground  (Ps.  cxliii.  3),  and  his  great 
fall  clouded  his  spirit  to  the  end.  Several  of 
the  Psalms  (such  as  vi.,  xxxviii.,  cxlii.,  cxliii.) 
may  be  called  first  editions — Hebrew  editions — 
of  the  seventh  chapter  of  Romans.  The  strug- 
gle between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  between  the 
Adam  and  the  Christ  in  Da\dd's  soul,  explain 
those  bursts  of  sorrow  which  alternate  in  the 
Psalms  with  tones  of  ecstatic  bliss.  This  in- 
cessant life-long  war  made  him  moan  on  his 
death-bed,  "My  house  is  not  so  with  God." 
There  is  no  anguish  like  it.  The  loss  of  worldly 
goods,  the  sharpness  of  a  first  bereavement,  all 
the  sorrows  you  can  name,  are  not  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  agony  of  feeling  sin's  poison 
rankling  within  you,  and  the  old  serpent  casting 
his  nether  folds  around  your  soul,  when  you 
would  fain  be  pure  as  Christ  is  pure. 

And  yet  this  qualified  David  to  give  expression 
to  every  form  of  spiritual  feeling.     In  whatever 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       65 

state  you  be,  he  has  been  there  before  yon. 
His  trials  were  bnt  the  tnning  of  the  instrnment 
which  the  Spu'it  employed  to  express  the  various 
melodies  which  he  designed  for  the  consolation 
and  edification  of  the  Chm^ch  in  all  ages. 
Hence  the  Psalms  must  ever  be  the  best  man- 
ual of  devotion :  all  the  thousand  emotions  of 
the  believing  heart  are  there.  It  is  for  the 
same  reason  that  the  seventh  chapter  of  Eo- 
mans  is  so  precious  to  the  saint  struggling  with 
indAvelling  sin.  Paul  reveals  there  the  inner 
workings  of  his  spirit.  What  should  we  do 
without  that  chapter?  And  let  me  add,  that 
such  a  record  as  we  have  in  Bunyan's  "  Grace 
Abounding"  is  fitted  to  be  eminently  helpful. 
Let  me  quote  a  single  sentence.  Speaking  of 
Satan's  temptations,  he  says,  p.  65,  "  These 
thkigs  did  sink  me  into  very  deep  despair,  for 
I  concluded  that  such  thiags  could  not  possibly 
be  found  among  them  that  love  God.  I  often, 
when  these  temptations  came  upon  me,  did 
compare  myself  to  the  case  of  a  child  whom 
some  gypsy  hath  by  force  taken  up  in  her  arms, 
and  is  carrjong  from  friend  and  country.     Kick 


6Q  THE  SHEPHERD   OE  ISRAEL. 

sometimes  I  did,  and  also  shriek  and  cry  ;  but 
yet  I  was  bound  in  the  wings  of  temptation,  and 
the  wind  would  carry  me  away." 

II.  The  sunshine  in  God's  covenant.  "  Yet  he 
hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant." 

It  has  been  quaintly  but  beautifully  said, 
"There  is  an  AltJiough  in  this  verse.  The 
Christian  has  always  an  Although — some  draw- 
back, some  thorn  in  his  flesh,  some  crook  in  his 
lot,  some  bitter  drop  in  his  cup,  some  cloud  on 
his  sky.  'My  house  is  not  so  with  God,'  my 
hope  is  not  so  bright,  my  work  is  not  so 
prosperous  as  I  expected.  But  there  is  a  Yet 
here — '  Yet  he  hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting 
covenant ; '  and  this  Yet  is  enough  to  counter- 
balance and  at  last  extinguish  ten  thousand 
Althoughs.  Make  an  inventory  of  your  trials 
and  crosses— add  them  all  together  :  tliis  Yet  is 
sufficient  to  turn  your  groans  into  songs,  your 
night  of  weeping  into  a  morning  of  joy !" 

Let  us  turn  our  eyes  to  the  sunshine  of  the 
covenant.  "  He  hath  made  an  everlasting  cov- 
enant luith  me."     The  covenant  of  grace  made 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       67 

witli  Christ  before  the  foundation  of  the  world 
is  offered  for  our  acceptance  in  the  gospel. 
When  Ave  receive  Christ  and  become  one  with 
him  by  a  living  faith,  we  become  parties  to  the 
covenant.  It  is,  as  it  were,  presented  for  our 
signature ;  when  we  sign  it,  we  are  warranted  to 
say,  "  He  hath  made  an  everlasting  covenant 
luitli  me."     Its  provisions  become  ours. 

This  covenant  is  the  charter  of  our  inheri- 
tance— the  title  deeds  of  our  estate.  It  secures 
for  us  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly  places 
in  Christ.  It  does  not  give  us  present  posses- 
sion. For  we  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight ;  we 
are  saved  by  hope.  "  The  heir,  as  long  as  he  is 
a  child,  differeth  nothing  from  a  servant,  though 
he  be  lord  of  aU ;  but  is  under  tutors  and  gov- 
ernors until  the  time  appointed  of  the  father." 
Even  the  titles  of  his  estate  are  in  other  and 
safer  custody.  He  has  to  wait.  And  although 
he  receives  his  maintenance  from  the  estate,  he 
is  often  in  straits.  Even  so  are  we.  "  Our 
house  is  not  so  with  God."  But  he  has  made 
an  everlasting  covenant  with  us.  This  cov- 
enant includes  all  the  treasures  of   grace  and 


68  THE   SHEPHERD    OF  ISEAEL.  • 

glory.  But  these  axe  not  ours  in  possession — 
they  are  laid  up  for  us  in  heaven.  They  are  the 
objects  of  faith  and  hope.  And  when  faith  and 
hope  are  in  lively  exercise,  this  covenant  is 
sufficient  to  sweeten  every  cross,  to  extract 
every  sting,  to  lighten  every  burden,  to  irradiate 
every  darkness.     For : 

1.  It  is  everlasting.  "  I  have  loved  thee  with 
an  everlasting  love.  (Jer.  xxxi.  3.)  The  parties 
to  it  never  die  ;  the  Mediator  of  it  is  the  same 
yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  forever ;  its  condi- 
tions cannot  be  changed,  for  they  were  con- 
firmed and  sealed  forever  in  the  blood  of  the 
Mediator ;  its  promises  can  never  fail,  and  its 
provisions  can  never  be  exhausted.  What  are 
these  provisions?  Not  houses  and  lands,  not 
corn  and  wine,  not  places  and  titles ;  but  "  all 
spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ." 
God  is  ui  this  covenant — "  I  will  be  their  God." 
Christ  is  in  it — "  This  is  my  beloved  Son  :  hear 
ye  him."  The  Holy  Ghost  is  in  it—"  He  shaU 
give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide 
with  you  forever."  Pardon  is  in  it — "  Though 
your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       69 

as  snow."  Adoption  is  in  it — "  Beliold,  wliat 
manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon 
us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God  !  " 
Sanctification  is  in  it — "  Sin  shaU  not  have  domi- 
nion over  you,  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law,  but 
under  grace."  Heaven  itself,  with  its  beatitudes 
and  its  glories,  is  in  it — "Eye  hath  not  seen, 
nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  the  things  which  God  hath  pre- 
pared for  them  that  love  him."  It  is  an  ever- 
lasting  covenant.  How  all  earthly  things  pass 
away  !  The  triumphal  arch  gTaces  the  triumph 
of  a  day  and  then  withers.  "We  seize  the 
flower,  its  bloom  is  fled."  Every  earthly  pleas- 
m^e  will  pall,  every  earthly  fountain  will  be  dried 
up,  every  earthly  glory  "  will  vanish  like  a 
bright  exhalation  in  the  evening."  Dear  young 
reader!  don't  make  your  garlands  of  luitJiered 
floioers.     Choose  something  that  will  last. 

2.  It  is  ordered  in  all  things.  (1.)  In  its  plan  : 
for  it  is  the  masterpiece  of  the  manifold  wisdom 
of  God.  (Eom.  xi.  33.)  (2.)  In  its  confirmation  by 
the  testator's  death ;  for  this  death  tm-ned  the 
covenant  into  a  testament,  and  made  its  pro- 


70  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

raises  payable  to  the  heirs.  That  prince  of 
evangehsts,  Robert  Flockhart,  who  preached 
the  gospel  for  forty  years  in  the  streets  of 
Edinburgh,  used  to  tell  that,  when  he  was  in  the 
army,  on  the  morning  of  a  battle,  his  comrade, 
who  had  to  go  into  action,  said  before  marching, 
"  Robert,  if  I  am  killed,  my  desk,  Bible,  papers, 
and  the  rest  of  my  property  will  be  yours  ; " 
but  "  he  came  back  alive,"  said  Robert,  "  and  I 
never  got  possession  of  the  property !  "  But 
by  the  death  of  Christ  the  blessings  of  the 
covenant  are  free  to  the  chief  of  sinners.  Come 
and  welcome  !  (3.)  This  covenant  is  ordered  in 
respect  of  the  application  of  its  benefits  to  all 
who  beheve.  For  the  Three  Persons  of  the 
Godhead  are  the  trustees,  and  they  will  see  to 
it  that  the  redemption  purchased  by  Christ 
shall  be  infallibly  applied  to  his  people.  (4.) 
And  it  is  ordered  in  respect  of  the  Divine 
adaptation  of  its  provisions  to  the  wants  of 
believers.  As  the  key  fits  into  the  wards  of 
the  lock,  so  do  its  provisions  fit  into  tlie  intri- 
cacies of  your  case,  its  Kght  into  the  depths  of 
your  darkness,  its  love  into  the  depths  of  your 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       71 

distress.  It  proTides  a  balm  for  every  wound, 
a  cordial  for  every  sorrow,  a  pardon  for  every 
sin. 

3.  It  is  sure.  Confirmed  by  two  immutable 
tilings  in  which  it  is  impossible  for  God  to  lie — 
his  word  and  his  oath — and  sealed  by  the  two 
royal  seals  of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Its  blessings  are  called  "  the  sure  mercies  of 
Da^dd."  As  surely  as  you  take  hold  of  it,  will 
you  one  day  walk  the  golden  streets.  God's 
word  will  never  fail  you.  Clasp  Christ's  faithful 
hand  now,  and  he  will  sustain  you  when  flesh 
and  heart  fail.  When  Durham  was  on  his 
death-bed,  a  cloud  passed  over  his  spirit,  and  he 
said  to  Principal  C  arstairs,  "  Think  you  I  may 
venture  my  soul  on  the  word,  '  Him  that  cometh 
to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out '  ?  "  "  If  you 
had  a  hundred  souls,"  said  the  other,  "you 
might  venture  them  all  on  that  word." 

It  is  "  aU  the  salvation  and  all  the  desire  "  of 
the  dying  saint  Look  at  Da^dd.  Standing  on 
the  threshold  of  glory,  the  sunshine  of  the 
covenant  not  only  brightens  the  dark  vaUey, 
and  reveals   an   open    heaven    and   a  radiant 


72  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

diadem,  but  it  casts  an  illumination  back  on  all 
the  dark  chapters  of  his  history.  Those  sharp 
tribulations,  whose  meanings  at  the  time  were 
hid,  are  all  intelligible  now  when  the  light  of 
heaven  is  streaming  in  his  face.  Did  he  mourn 
over  the  state  of  his  family?  The  covenant 
reveals  that  he  is  to  be  the  head  of  the  heathen, 
and  that  the  coming  Messiah  will  be  his  Son 
according  to  the  flesh  as  well  as  his  Lord.  Did 
he  mourn  because  God  decreed  that  he  should 
not  build  the  temple  ?  He  sees  that  Solomon 
his  son  will  build  it,  and  that  a  greater  Solomon 
will  build  a  more  glorious  temple  on  Mount 
Zion,  a  temple  of  which  the  whole  company  of 
the  redeemed  shall  be  the  living  stones.  Did 
he  mourn  over  his  inveterate  sinfulness  ?  The 
covenant  reveals  that  Christ  is  his  sanctification, 
that  all  his  well-springs  are  in  him,  that  at  his 
glorious  appearing  he  shall  be  satisfied  with  his 
likeness.  "  This  is  all  my  salvation  and  all  my 
desii'e." 

And  it  is  so  always.  The  covenant  of  grace 
is  the  solace  of  every  dying  saint.  "  The  feeble 
among  them  at  tha,t  day  shall  be  as  David."     If 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.       73 

you  were  to  ask  him,  "  Have  you  had  a  heavy 
cross  to  hear  ?"  "  Yes,"  he  would  say,  "  but 
Jesus  bore  the  heavy  end  of  it.  It  never  galled 
my  shoulder.  When  I  was  weary,  he  carried 
both  myself  and  my  cross.  And  I  learned  to 
look  at  the  bright  side  of  it." 

"  Have  you  had  fiery  trials  ?''  "  Yes,  but  the 
way  of  trial  is  the  way  to  glory." 

"  Trials  make  the  promise  sweet, 
^  Trials  give  new  life  to  prayer  : 

Trials  bring  me  to  liis  feet, 
Lay  me  low  and  keep  me  there." 

"  Bid  God  bring  a  lointer  on  the  ivorh  of  sanc- 
tification  in  your  soul  ?"  "  Yes,"  he  would  reply, 
"  many  winters.  I  prayed  for  growth  in  gTace, 
and  he  answered  me  by  terrible  things.  I  was 
often  like  a  hving  man  tied  to  a  corpse.  When 
I  engaged  in  any  sphitual  duty,  I  was  like  an 
invahd  chmbing  the  pyramids.  But  I  got  sweet 
comfort  from  the  word,  '  The  elder  shall  serve 
the  younger.' " 

"  Have  you  had  a  crooh  in  your  lot  ?"  "  Yes." 
"  In  your  health .?"  "  Yes."  "  In  your  calling  r 
"  Yes :   one  disappointment  followed  another." 


74  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

"  What  kept  jour  soul  at  peace  in  the  midst  of 
it  all?"     "The  sunshine  of  the  covenant." 

"Has  your  house  been  as  prosperous  as  you 
toished ;  your  family — your  -friends  ?''  "No; 
my  house  is  not  so  with  God — he  has  not  made 
it  to  grow  as  I  expected.  But  I  remember 
Whitefield's  experience.  He  had  a  son  whom 
he  expected  to  become  a  very  extraordinary 
man,  but  the  son  soon  died,  and  his  father  was 
cured  of  his  mistake." 

"Have  you  had  affliction  in  your  family?''' 
"  Yes,"  the  dying  saint  would  say,  "  I  tasted 
the  bitterness  of  grief  for  a  first-born,  and  the 
loss  of  one  loved  one  after  another  left  me 
like  a  branchless  tree  stript  and  bare.  But 
Jesus  was  very  near  in  the  night  of  weeping. 
Thfe  sunshine  of  the  everlasting  covenant 
dispelled  the  gloomy  cloud." 

"  In  all  these  things  we  are  more  than 
conquerors  through  him  that  loved  us."  Clouds 
of  sin,  and  care,  and  woe,  wrap  our  sky  for 
a  season,  but  the  sun  is  behind,  and  the  clouds 
vanish  forever  as  we  approach  the  land  of 
of  everlasting  day. 


THE  CLOUD  AND  THE  SUNSHINE.      75 

Would  you  have  this  covenant  as  yonr  solace, 
my  friend,  in  a  dying  hour  ?  Take  hold  of  it 
now.  Close  with  its  blessed  proposals.  Let  it 
be  all  your  salvation,  and  all  your  desire.  Cling 
the  more  firmly  to  it  as  you  journey  onward 
and  homeward.  And  when  flesh  and  heart 
fail,  God  will  be  the  strength  of  your  heart,  and 
your  portion  forever. 

"  A  little  while  !  "— 
And  earth  shaU  pass, 
Like  a  faint  vision,  from  our  weary  gaze, 
And  we  shaU  stand  uiDon  the  sea  of  glass. 
For  evermore  ! 

"  A  little  while!"— 
And  death  shall  be, 
I  With  Satan,  vanquished  at  Jehovah's  feet, 

And  we  shall  see  our  Saviour,  eye  to  eye. 
For  evermore  ! 

"A  little  while!"— 
And  every  grief 
.Shall  be  remembered,  but  with  tears  of  joy  : 
On  Jesus'  bosom  we  shall  find  relief, 

For  evermore ! 

"  A  little  while!"— 
And  parted  hands 
Shall  clasp  again  upon  the  heavenly  shore 
Where  she — ^^  Jerusalem  the  Golden'^ — stands 
For  evermore ! 

SCHOLA    CEUCIS  — SCHOLA    LUCIS.      {Luther.) 


>■ 


IV. 


THE  UNKNOWN  WAY  AND  THE  KNOWN  GOIDE. 

Isaiah  xlii.  16. 
"And  I  will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  knew  not ; 
I  will  lead  them  in  paths  that  they  have  not  known  :  I  will 
make  darkness  light  before  them,  and  crooked  things 
straight.  These  things  will  I  do  unto  them,  and  not  forsake 
them." 


jHIS  chapter  is  written  to  help  young 

«^-s[|K^j^  pilgrims   in    the    narrow   way.     It    is 

)  3Vr      clii^%  intended  for  those  who    have 

recently  been  led  to  follow  Jesus.     The 

writer  is  a  companion  in  tribulation.     He  has 

felt  the  truth  of  what  he  says.     He  knows  the 

pain  of  cut  feet   and  broken  bones.     But  he 

"  has  something  good  to  say  about  the  narrow 

way."     And  as  Mr.  Beady-to-Halt  in  Bunyan 

lent  Mr.  Feeble-Mind  one  of  his  crutches,  these 
(76) 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND   KNOWN   GUIDE.  77 

words  may  prove  a  crutch  to  some  pilgrim  who 
is  now  going  and  weeping.  A  traveller  cross- 
ing an  Alpine  pass  will  learn  lessons  that  may 
be  useful  to  future  travellers. 

You  have  observed  that  a  blind  man  with  a 
staff  in  his  hand  walks  pretty  confidently  along 
a  famihar  road ;  but  when  he  comes  to  a  part  of 
the  road  that  he  does  not  know,  his  step  is  slow 
and  cautious.  God  promises  here  to  "  bring  the 
blind  by  a  way  that  they  knew  not''  He  deals 
very  tenderly  with  the  blind.  The  infant  in  the 
family  is  fed  first.  The  sickly  child  is  watched 
with  constant  tenderness.  The  broken  limb  is 
softly  swathed,  and  nursed  by  gentle  apphca- 
tions.  For  the  same  reasons  you  find  all  over 
the  Bible  that  our  Father  reserves  his  choicest 
mercies  for  the  poor,  the  sorrowful,  the  weary, 
the  halt,  the  blind.  Jesus'  first  words  on  the 
Mount  were  these — "Blessed  are  the  poor  in 
spirit :  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn." 

Observe  two  general  principles. 

It  could  not  he  expected  that  ive  should  hnoio  the 
luay  to  heaven  of  ourselves.  It  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  we  need  to  be  guided  at  every 


78  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

step  as  a  blind  man  along  the  road.  You  must 
know  the  place  before  you  can  know  the  way  to 
it.  You  must  know  the  sphere  before  you  can 
know  the  training  necessary  for  it.  But  it  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be.  If  you  do  not 
know  the  process  by  which  a  diamond  is  pol- 
ished ere  it  sparkles  in  the  sovereign's  crown, 
how  can  you  know  the  process  by  which  a  soul 
is  polished  to  shine  in  the  Saviour's  crown  for- 
ever? If  you  are  ignorant  of  the  usages  of 
earthly  courts,  and  what  is  fitting  in  order  to 
appear  there,  how  much  more  of  the  preparation 
necessary  for  walking  with  Christ  in  white  in  the 
New  Jerusalem  !  It  is  quite  natural,  then,  that 
if  we  are  on  the  way  to  the  kingdom,  we  should 
be  hke  the  bhnd  in  a  way  that  they  know  not. 
Moses  felt  himself  so  ignorant  of  the  way  to  the 
Promised  Land  that  he  prayed — "  If  thy  pres- 
ence go  not  with  us,  carry  us  not  up  hence." 

It  could  not  he  expected  that  God's  manner  of 
leading  in  the  way  would  he  what  ive  think.  His 
ways  are  higher  than  our  ways,  and  his  thoughts 
than  our  thoughts.  The  God  who  is  from  ever- 
lasting to  everlasting,  who  fills  all  space,  and 


UNKNO^^^  WAY  AND   KNOWN   GUIDE.  79 

reigns  in  majesty  above  all  worlds,  does  not  see 
nor  act  like  tlie  blind  creatures  of  a  day  in  any- 
thing. His  sovereignty  cliallenges  a  latitude. 
He  moves  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  and  of  fire  even 
wlien  lie  guides  us  to  glory.  We  cannot  often 
interpret  bis  dealings.  At  every  step  be  says, 
"Wbat  I  do  tbou  knowest  not  now,  but  tliou 
sbalt  know  hereafter."  His  way  is  in  the  sea,. 
and  his  path  in  the  great  waters,  and  his  foot- 
steps are  not  known. 

We  shall  consider  The  Unhioion  Way  and  the 
Known  Guide. 

I.  The  Unknoicn  Way. 

God  1ms  led  his  people  in  all  ages  by  a  way 
that  they  knew  not.  And,  as  the  finest  fabrics 
are  longest  in  the  purifjdng  process,  the  bright- 
est saints  have  been  led  farthest  off  their 
course.  Take  three  examples.  God  promised 
to  make  Abraham  a  great  nation,  and  give  him 
Canaan  as  his  inheritance.  He  left  his  coun- 
try not  knowing  whither  he  went ;  he  lived  in 
a  strange  country  without  a  foot  of  land  except 
a  burial-place  ;  his  life  was  waning  away  before 


80  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

Isaac  was  born — that  same  Isaac  lie  was  called 
to  offer  up  as  a  burnt-offering — and  it  was  more 
than  four  hundred  years  before  his  posterity  en- 
tered the  Promised  Land.  Look  at  Jacob.  A 
sohtary  wanderer,  persecuted  by  an  angry  bro- 
ther, wounded  by  the  sins  and  crimes  of  his  chil- 
dren, his  trials  followed  each  other  like  waves. 
Joseph,  the  son  of  his  old  age,  is  sold  into 
Egypt;  the  great  famine  comes;  his  sons  go 
down  to  Egypt  for  bread ;  Simeon  is  detained 
in  prison ;  Benjamin  is  sent  for  :  and  the  gray- 
haired,  heart-broken  saint  cries  at  last,  "  Me 
have  ye  bereaved  of  my  children ;  Joseph  is 
not,  and  Simeon  is  not,  and  ye  will  take  Benja- 
min away.  All  these  things  are  against  me." 
And  yet  these  were  the  steps  that  brought  him 
into  Joseph's  presence.  See  Joseph  clasping 
his  father,  and  weeping  on  his  neck!  Once 
more.  Look  at  Job,  of  whom  God  thrice  said 
that  there  was  none  like  him  in  the  earth. 
Hardly  ever  was  saint  overwhelmed  by  such  an 
avalanche  of  sorrow.  He  lost  his  flocks,  his 
herds,  and  his  ten  children  in  one  day.  Satan 
smote  him  with  sore  bodily  disease.     Stripped 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND   KNOWN   GUIDE.  81 

of  all,  the  cup  of  liis  bitterness  filled  to  the  brim, 
tempted  by  his  wife,  wounded  by  the  hard 
speeches  of  heart-whole,  unfeeling,  coldly- 
orthodox  friends,  this  pattern  of  patience  cursed 
his  day!  Each  of  these  would  haye  said,  "  What 
a  labyrinth  have  I  passed  through !"  "  Thou 
broughtest  us  into  the  net :  thou  laidst  affliction 
upon  our  loins :  thou  hast  caused  men  to  ride 
over  our  heads :  we  went  through  fire  and 
through  water,  but  thou  broughtest  us  out  into 
a  wealthy  place.  (Ps.  Ixvi.  11,  12.) 

1.  It  is  by' a  luay  unhnoivn  that  you  are  hrought 
to  Jesus.  This  is  a  great  mystery  ;  but  I  speak 
of  the  regeneration  of  the  soul.  "The  wind 
bloweth  where  it  hsteth,  and  thou  hearest  the 
sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it 
cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth :  so  is  every  one 
that  is  born  of  the  Spirit."  Who  can  tell  the 
secret  of  the  wind's  motion,  how  it  swells  fi'om 
the  gentle  breeze  to  the  hurricane  gust,  and 
then  dies  away  ?  Who  can  tell  how  the  grass 
grows,  and  the  seed  ripens,  how  the  magnet 
draws  the  iron,  and  the  needle  turns  to  the 
pole,  and  the  poison  in  time  of  pestilence  steals 
6 


82  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

tlirough  the  air  unseen  ?  So  secret  is  the  work 
of  the  Spirit.  Unseen  he  comes,  unseen  he 
departs.  Sometimes  as  the  balmy  breath  of 
the  south  wind,  sometimes  as  the  stormy  blast 
of  the  north.  When  he  gently  breathes,  as 
he  does  whenever  Christ  crucified  is  set  forth, 
you  heed  him  not — as  you  do  not  heed  the 
breath  that  fans  your  cheek ;  but  when  he 
comes  like  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  when  thou- 
sands are  bowed  down,  as  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, like  forest  trees  bending  to  the  blast, 
before  his  divine  and  awful  influence,  you  cry, 
"  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  I  do  ?  "  Chal- 
mers once  preached  in  Kilmany  from  John 
iii.  16 :  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he 
gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life."  "Did  you  feel  anything  strange 
in  church  to-day  ?"  said  Alexander  Paterson  to 
his  friend  Eobert  Edie,  at  the  close  of  the 
sermon,  as  they  found  themselves  alone  on  the 
road.  "I  never,"  he  continued,  "felt  myself 
undone  till  to-day  as  I  was  listening  to  that 
sermon."     "It's  very  strange,"  said  the  other, 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND  KNOWTT  GUIDE.  83 

"for  it  was  just -the  same  with  me."  The  two 
entered  a  wood  close  by,  and  there,  unseen  by 
any  eye  but  God's,  consecrated  themselves  to 
his  service.  Truly  it  is  by  a  way  that  we  know 
not  that  we  are  brought  to  Jesus.  These  two 
on  their  knees  in  that  lone  wood  have  entered 
in  at  the  strait  gate ;  and  all  the  account  they 
can  give  of  it  is,  "  Did  you  feel  anything  strange 
in  church  to-day  ?" 

And  so  with  thousands.  Your  sins  are  set 
before  you.  You  feel  yourself  a  child  of  WTath. 
Sinai's  thunder  is  exceeding  long  and  loud ; 
and  you  say,  "I  exceedingly  fear  and  quake." 
You  thought  the  day  of  judgment  w^as  come, 
and  all  your  hopes  perished.  "I  was  alive 
without  the  law  once  ;  but  when  the  command- 
ment came,  sin  revived  and  I  died."  And  then 
Jesus  laid  his  right  hand  upon  you  and  said, 
"  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy- 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  With  unutter- 
able joy  you  cast  yourself  at  his  feet.  But 
who  can  tell  the  mysterious  steps  by  which  the 
soul  is  led  from  the  moment  of  its  first  seeking 
after  him  till  it  rejoices  in  conscious  acceptance  ? 


84  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

What  was  tlie  beginning  of  it  all?  Perhaps 
you  have  had  serious  impressions  from  your 
earliest  years.  A  mother's  tears  fell  on  your 
cheeks  as  she  told  of  a  Saviour's  love.  "  There 
was  a  Face  that  came  through  your  childish 
dreams  with  its  mute  appealing :  there  is  a 
voice,  a  presence,  which  hath  been  with  you  all 
your  days,  and  which,  however  you  went  away 
from  it,  starts  up  ever  and  again  before  you, 
and  would  not  leave  you  alone."  (Memorials 
of  Andrew  Crichton,  p.  118.)  What  brought 
it  to  a  crisis?  A  remark  you  heard  at  the 
weekly  lecture,  a  tear  you  saw  gathering  in  the 
Sabbath-school  teacher's  eye,  the  sudden  death 
of  a  school  companion,  an  illness  which  brought 
you  to  the  verge  of  the  grave.  The  entrance 
at  the  strait  gate  is  a  way  that  we  know  not. 

2.  God's  dealings  luith  the  soul  after  it  is  brought 
to  Jesus,  hath  in  providence  and  grace,  are  as  paths 
unknoivn. 

There  was  a  law  among  the  Jews,  that  when 
a  man  married  he  was  allowed  for  a  year  to 
enjoy  the  quiet  repose  of  his  home — he  was  not 
asked  to  go  out  to  war ;  but  when  the  year  ex- 


UNKNOWN   WAY  AND  KNO^YN  GUIDE.  85 

pired  he  was  included  iii  tlie  regular  conscrip- 
tion, and  had  to  face  the  foe  like  his  neighbors. 
Exactly  sirailar  is  the  experience  of  the  soul 
that  is  newly  espoused  to  the  Lord  Jesus.  He 
reveals  his  wonderful  glory,  and  you  lay  your 
head  upon  his  breast.  "The  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding,"  fiUs  your 
soul.  "  I  cannot  have  more  peace,"  said  Simeon 
of  Cambridge.  Gurnall  in  his  "  Christian  Arm- 
or "  observes,  that  Christ's  blood  was  warm  in 
the  veins  of  the  early  martyi's.  So  it  is  with 
you.  Your  soul  brims  over  with  holy  gladness. 
You  sing  like  Muiam  and  the  rest  of  the  jubilant 
host  when  they  saw  Pharaoh  and  his  captains 
dead  on  the  shore.  You  say,  "I'll  not  live 
long ;  I'll  soon  reach  the  land  of  Beulah  ;  I'll 
soon  be  away  from  this  vexing  world,  and  join 
the  Church  of  the  first-born  above."  Not  a 
sermon  but  you  go,  wet  or  dry,  to  hear  it.  How 
constant  in  meditation  and  prayer !  How  thirst- 
ily you  drink  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word ! 
How  joyful  your  Sabbaths !  Your  soul  is  fra- 
grant as  the  rose  in  spring,  and  you  say,  "  Oh, 
if  this  would   last   always!"     You    think  that 


86  THE  SHEPHERD  OF  ISEAEL. 

your  path  to  glory  is  to  be  smooth  and  straight 
and  joyful,  and  that  you  can  go  singing  all  the 
way. 

But  suddenly  you  come  to  Marah's  bitter 
waters.  This  is  something  different  from  all 
you  have  known  during  the  first  years  of  your 
pilgrim  hfe.  There  is  a  cloud  on  your  sky. 
You  hope  it  will  pass  away ;  but  you  are  disap- 
pointed. It  spreads  and  spreads,  until  you  lose 
sight  of  the  sun,  and  the  path,  and  the  triumph- 
ant scene  behind,  and  the  joyful  prospect  before. 
The  path  becomes  unknown  and  dark  and 
crooked.  It  becomes  strewn  with  the  flint,  the 
brier,  and  the  thorn.  And  you  hear  with 
amazement  that  enemies  whom  you  had  never 
seen — Canaanites  having  iron  chariots — are  in 
the  way  before  you,  ready  for  battle,  and  that 
you  must  wrestle  "not  only  with  flesh  and 
blood,  but  with  principalities  and  powers,  with 
the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  and 
with  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places."  "  To 
arms!  to  arms!"  is  the  call  of  the  great  Captain 
of  your  salvation.  "Fight  the  good  fight  of 
faith,  lay  hold  on  eternal  life."     You  begin  to 


UNKNOWN   WAY  AND   KNOWN   GUIDE.  87 

learn  that  the  Christian  Hfe  is  a  pilgrimage 
through  a  howling  wilderness,  a  race  where  the 
runner  must  strain  every  nerve  to  the  end,  a 
voyage  over  a  sea  where  millions  have  been 
shipwrecked,  a  battle  with  enemies  so  desperate 
that  you  must  either  kill  or  be  killed.  "  Expe- 
rience is  a  good  teacher,  but  the  fees  are  heavy." 
In  these  circumstances,  many  a  young  pilgrim 
cries  in  sore  perplexity,  "  This  is  very  different 
from  what  my  early  experience  led  me  to  ex- 
pect !"  It  may  be  so  :  and  yet,  brother,  it  is  in 
accordance  with  the  law  of  the  kingdom  to 
which  you  are  journeying  —  "  Through  much 
tribulation  we  must  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God ;"  and  it  is  in  accordance  with  the  history 
of  its  glorified  inhabitants — "  These  are  they 
who  came  out  of  great  tribulation." 

II.  The  Knoivn  Guide. 

This  is  the  more  welcome  part  of  the  subject. 
Blessed  are  they  that  know  the  joyful  sound. 
Here  is  a  guide  who  knows  the  way  thoroughly, 
who  will  pay  all  the  costs  of  the  journey,  who 
will   conquer   all  your   enemies,   and  who  will 


00  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

never  leave  nor  forsake  you.  In  other  words, 
here  is  a  ivise  guide,  a  rich  guide,  a  strong  guide, 
and  a  loving  guide. 

1.  A  loise  Guide. — Wlien  the  Israelites  crossed 
the  sea,  and  saw  Pharaoh  and  his  host  dead  on 
its  shores,  and  raised  the  triumphant  shout, 
"Sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed 
gloriously;  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he 
thrown  into  the  sea" — had  you  asked.  When 
do  you  expect  to  reach  the  j)romised  land? 
"  In  eleven  days,"  they  would  have  answered. 
(Deut.  i.  2.)  Had  you  asked  thirty  years 
afterwards.  When  do  you  expect  to  reach  the 
promised  land  now  ?  they  would  have  answered, 
"  It  is  only  he  who  goeth  before  us  in  the  pillar 
of  cloud  and  of  fire  who  knows  whether  we 
shall  ever  enter  it !"  God  led  them  about,  but 
he  kept  them  as  the  apple  of  his  eye. 

Dark  and  crooked  as  the  way  may  seem  to 
you,  he  knows  it  thoroughly.  He  has  guided  a 
multitude  which  none  can  number  to  Canaan 
already.  He  led  them  forth  by  the  right  way. 
He  offers  to  guide  you.  He  knows  the  way 
which  is  best  for  you.     He  puts  his  word  as  a 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND  KNOWN  GUIDE.     89 

staff  in  your  hand.  He  gives  it  as  a  lamp  for 
your  feet,  and  as  a  light  for  your  path.  He 
offers  to  guide  you  with  his  eye.  He  wishes 
you  to  walk  in  his  Ught,  and  not  in  your  own. 
The  pilgTim,  after  leaving  the  City  of  Destruc- 
tion, would  hke  to  some  extent  to  be  his  own 
guide.  He  has  some  preconceived  plans  of  his 
own.  He  would  wish  a  smooth  path ;  God 
guides  him  by  a  rough  one.  He  would  w^ish  a 
short  path ;  God  guides  him  by  a  circuitous 
one.  He  would  wish  an  easy  path  ;  God  leads 
him  up  the  HiU  Difficulty.  He  would  wish  a 
public  path  ;  God  guides  him  by  an  obscure 
one.  He  would  wish  a  safe  path  ;  God  guides 
him  through  a  great  and  terrible  wilderness, 
where  there  are  scorpions,  lions'  dens,  and 
mountains  of  leopards.  Fellow-pilgrim !  God 
crosses  your  desires,  breaks  your  plans  in 
pieces,  and  often  appears  as  if  standing  with  a 
drawn  sw^ord  in  your  way.  The  jDromise  and 
the  providence  cross  each  other,  and  sometimes 
in  hues  so  intricate,  that  you  cannot  see  the 
end  of  it.  This  is  to  try  and  humble  and 
purify  you,  in  order   that  at  last   you  may  be 


90  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

crowned  with  glory.  Oli,  let  patience  have  her 
perfect  work !  The  crooked  will  be  found  in 
the  long-run  to  have  been  really  straight.  The 
darkest  spots  in  your  journey  will  be  the 
brightest,  when  heaven  flashes  back  its  glorious 
light  upon  them.  We  are  sure  to  err  if  we 
walk  by  our  own  light,  and  criticise  God's  ways. 
He  can  make  your  weakness  strength,  your  loss 
gain,  your  fall  a  victory ;  he  can  make  the 
crooked  straight,  darkness  light,  and  death  life. 
Stephen's  death  helped  to  spread  the  gospel. 
Paul's  imprisonment  heljDed  to  spread  the 
gospel.  If  John  Bunyan  had  not  pined  in 
Bedford  jail  for  twelve  years,  we  had  never  seen 
the  Pilgrims  Progress.  If  we  could  learn 
patience  from  the  boy  who  met  with  a  sore 
accident,  and  silenced  the  friends  who  mourned 
over  his  broken  leg  by  saying,  "  God  never 
made  a  mistake  !"  The  sweetest  mercy  God 
ever  gave  you  will  yet  be  found  to  be,  that  he 
brought  you  by  a  way  that  you  knew  not. 

2.  A  rich  Guide. — See  the  provision  he  has 
made  for  the  refreshment  of  pilgrims  by  the 
way.     He    has  provided  resting-places — green 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND   KNOWN  GUIDE.  91 

spots  like  Elim — and  in  these  lie  lias  stored 
wine  and  milk,  manna  from  heaven,  and  honey 
out  of  the  rock.  He  brings  pilgrims  to  liis  ban- 
queting-house.  He  anoints  their  heads  with  oil. 
He  makes  their  cnp  run  over.  He  gives  them 
earnests  of  Canaan.  The  Interpreter's  house, 
and  the  arbor  in  the  brow  of  the  Hill  Difficulty, 
and  the  Beautiful  Palace,  and  Gains'  house,  and 
the  walk  along  the  banks  of  the  river  of  God, 
and  the  shepherds'  tents  on  the  Delectable 
Mountains,  and  the  joys  of  the  land  of  Beulali 
— these  set  forth  the  riches  of  the  guide.  The 
very  poverty  of  the  pilgrims  is  a  miiTor  in  which 
we  may  see  his  riches.  He  has  a  salve  for 
every  wound  of  theirs,  and  a  cordial  for  every 
sorrow.  He  has  a  pardon  for  every  sin,  and  a 
fulness  for  every  want.  It  pleased  the  Father 
that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell.  The 
saints'  biUs  are  paid  at  first  sight,  whatever  the 
amount  is. 

View  it  thus.  The  saints  in  glory  are  a  mul- 
titude which  none  can  number.  How  bright 
these  glorious  spirits  shine !  They  were  once 
wretched  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  bhnd. 


92  THE   SHEPHEED   OF   ISRAEL. 

and  naked.  And  yet  every  one  of  tliem  has 
been  blessed  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in 
heavenly  places  in  Christ.  Every  one  of  them 
has  received  pardon  for  countless  sins  and  sup- 
plies of  grace  in  countless  trials.  We  are  lost 
in  the  thought.  Our  guide  is  as  rich  as  ever. 
He  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above 
all  that  you  can  ask  or  think. 

Fellow-pilgrim!  Think  of  that  one  word — 
"  The  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ."  The 
ocean  whose  waters  surround  the  world,  and 
fill  all  its  lakes  and  rivers,  is  a  type  of  the 
riches  of  your  guide.  Wlio  can  exhaust  the 
ocean?  The  grandest  type  of  all  is  the  sun, 
that  for  six  thousand  years  has  poured  his 
floods  of  hght.  that  continues  to  shine  unex- 
hausted, and  conveys  life,  and  Hght,  and  heat, 
to  unnumbered  millions.  But  no  type  can  fully 
represent  the  unsearchable  riches.  Behold  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  revealed  in  the 
gospel  —  the  riches  of  his  merit  —  the  riches  of 
his  love — the  riches  of  his  grace — the  riches  of 
his  consolations !  When  the  famine  waxed  sore 
in  Egypt,  Pharaoh  had  but  one  advice  to  the 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND   KNOWN   GUIDE.  93 

starving  multitudes,  "  Go  to  Joseph  !"  Joseph 
opened  the  store-houses  and  sold  to  the  Egyp- 
tians. O  that  dying  sinners  flocked  to  Christ's 
open  store-houses  as  these  starving  Egyptians 
flocked  to  Joseph  !  O  that  there  were  a  run 
upon  the  Bank  of  free  grace !  What  joy  would 
it  create  in  heaven  ! 

3.  A  strong  Guide. — Close  to  my  father's  house 
a  beautiful  wood  covered  to  the  top  a  steep  hill 
that  rose  out  of  a  quiet  lake.  The  road  passed 
through  the  wood.  As  a  child,  I  never  took 
this  road  alone  in  the  dark  without  being  afraid. 
My  father  was  a  strong,  powerful  man.  When 
he  held  my  hand,  I  could  walk  fearlessly  through 
the  wood  in  the  darkest  night.  All  the  idle 
fears  of  spirits  of  the  wood  and  wraiths  of  the 
water  that  haunted  the  child's  mind  melted 
away  when  his  father  walked  beside  him  and 
smiled  at  his  fears. 

Pilgrim!  many  of  your  fears  are  as  un- 
founded as  the  fears  of  childhood.  You  walk  in 
darkness,  and  a  stone  seems  a  lion,  a  friend 
seems  an  enemy,  the  right  way  seems  the  wrong. 
The  cure  for  your  fears  is  to  keep  near  your 


94  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

guide.  Pray  tliat  lie  would  take  you  by  the 
hand.  Tell  hun  your  fears.  Study  the  "  Fear 
Nots  "  of  the  Bible — "  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with 
thee :"  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid :"  "  Fear  not, 
little  flock" — and  your  fears  will  melt  away. 

He  is  a  strong  guide.  He  can  carry  all  your 
burdens.  And  if  you  cannot  walk,  he  wiU  carry 
yourself.  "  The  eternal  God  is  thy  refuge,  and 
underneath  are  the  everlasting  arms." 

He  can  conquer  all  your  enemies.  He 
triumphed  over  them  on  the  cross.  "Be  of 
good  cheer,"  he  says,  "I  have  overcome  the 
world."  He  took  the  sting  of  death  away. 
Death  quails  before  him.  Devils  tremble  for 
fear  of  him.  And  oh!  he  can  kill  sin  within 
you.  He  can  strangle  the  scorpions  that  bite 
you.  "  The  God  of  peace  shaU  bruise  Satan 
under  your  feet  shortly."  "The  Egyptians 
whom  ye  have  seen  to-day,  ye  shall  see  them 
again  no  more  forever."  "  Thou  shalt  tread 
upon  the  lion  and  the  adder :  the  dragon  and 
the  young  lion  shalt  thou  trample  under  foot." 
No  wonder  that  Balph  Erskine,  as  his  end  drew 
near,  uttered  the  joyful  shout,  "  Victory,  victory. 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND   KNOWN   GUIDE.  95 

througli  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  !"  No  w^oncler 
that  a  venerable  saint,  who  lately  died  in  the 
Lord,  said  in  his  last  moments,  "  The  shadows 
of  death  are  falling  over  me,  but  I  am  going  to 
my  great  Elder  Brother  in  the  heavens  !" 

4.  A  loving  Guide. — "  These  things  will  I  do 
imto  them,  and  not  forsake  them."  He  loves 
you  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.  He  loves  you  too 
well  to  give  you  your  good  things  in  this  world. 
He  loves  you  too  well  to  let  you  be  puflfed  up 
with  pride.  "  C  an  a  woman  forget  her  sucking 
child,  that  she  should  not  have  compassion  on 
the  son  of  her  womb  ?  yea,  she  may  forget,  yet 
will  I  not  forget  thee."  But  he  puts  crooks  in 
your  lot.  It  is  love.  He  leads  you  in  a  way 
that  you  know  not.  It  is  love.  He  lets  trials  in 
your  person,  business,  family,  come  rolling  over 
you  Uke  waves.  It  is  love.  He  hides  his  face 
from  you.  It  is  love.  He  empties  you  from 
vessel  to  vessel.  It  is  love.  He  puts  you  in  a 
fiery  furnace.  It  is  love.  "There's  not  one 
drop  of  wrath  in  all  this,"  said  a  godly  woman 
when  dying  in  great  bodily  agony.  The  molten 
gold  is  more  precious   to   the  refiner  than  the 


96  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

bullion.  Study,  tlien,  tlie  actings  of  this  love ; 
for  it  is  hard  for  a  child  to  believe  that  the 
physician  loves  him  when  lie  cuts  off  the  incur- 
able limb.  A  loving  guide — and,  therefore, 
these  things  are  certain :  No  evil  shall  hurt 
you ;  a  guard  of  angels  shall  watch  around  you  ; 
aU  providences  shall  work  together  for  your 
good ;  and,  best  of  all,  the  Guide  himself  will 
stand  at  the  top  of  the  ladder,  and  give  you  the 
best  wine  at  the  last.  "  Well  done,  good  and 
faithful  servant :  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord."  Oh,  happy  jDilgrim,  though  fooHsh, 
with  such  a  wise  guide !  happy  though  poor, 
with  such  a  rich  guide !  happy  though  weak, 
with  such  a  strong  guide !  happy  though  deso- 
late, with  such  a  loving  guide  !  Behold,  a  guide 
who  will  redeem  you,  pardon  you,  seal  you, 
guide  you,  guard  you — a  guide  who  will  never 
leave  you,  who  will  hold  up  your  head  in  cross- 
ing the  Jordan,  and  take  you  to  his  throne  in 
heaven ! 

''And  when  I'm  to  die, 
Eeceive  me,  I'll  cry  ; 
For  Jesus  hath  loved  me, 
I  cannot  tell  why. 


UNKNOWN  WAY  AND  KNOWN  GUIDE.  97 

"  But  this  I  do  find, 
That  we  two  are  so  joined, 
Christ  will  not  be  in  glory, 
And  leave  me  behind." 

This  may  fall  into  tlie  hands  of  some  pilgrim 
who  has  long  followed  the  Lamb,  and  does  not 
yet  enjoy  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise.  My 
brother !  your  feeling  is,  "  My  darkness  is  not 
yet  made  light,  and  the  crooked  lines  in  my 
experience  are  as  crooked  as  ever."  But  wait 
the  issue.  Wait  until  you  "  see  the  end  of , 
the  Lord."  Remember  the  words  of  Jesus 
to  Martha,  "  Said  I  not  unto  thee  that  if  thou 
wouldest  beheve,  thou  shouldest  see  the  glory 
of  God?"  As  surely  as  Joseph's  promotion 
casts  a  radiance  back  on  his  woes  in  the  dun- 
geon, so  will  it  be  with  you.  It  will  be  part 
of  heaven's  joy  to  look  back  and  see  how 
really  straight  was  the  seemingly  crooked. 
The  "  blind  "  are  often  led  on  and  up  till  at 
last  they  land  in  glory,  and  then  begins  the 
wonder,  "  Oh,  have  all  my  crosses  and  heart- 
breaks, all  my  crooked  experiences,  all  my 
sighs  and  tears,  come  to  this  !  Have  all  these 
rough  blasts  blown  me  to  this  happy  shore  ! 
7 


98  THE  SHEPHEKD   OF  ISEAEL. 

But  some  will  read  this  wlio  are  without 
Christ  as  their  guide.  They  walk  in  the  way 
of  their  hearts,  and  in  the  sight  of  their  eyes. 
Dear  friend !  you  need  a  guide.  The  way 
is  unknown.  It  is  dark  and  slippery.  A  guide 
is  indispensable.  Oh,  will  you  not  choose  this 
guide  now  ?  The  writer  never  felt  the  value  of 
a  guide  so  much  as  once  when  crossing  a  gla- 
cier. A  glacier  is  a  river  of  ice.  The  blue  ice 
rising  and  falling  Hke  frozen  waves,  the  fearful 
crevasses  gaping  here  and  there,  the  shppery 
path,  where  every  second  step  is  cut  in  the  ice  ; 
woe  to  the  traveller  who  tries  to  cross  without  a 
guide.  Christless  soul !  your  path  is  far  more 
slippery,  and  your  danger  far  greater.  It  is  a 
sore  death  to  fall  into  a  crevasse,  or  to  plunge 
down  an  ice  precipice ;  but  a  sorer  death  will  be 
his  who,  refusing  Jesus'  blessed  guidance, 
stumbles  in  sin's  slippery  road,  and  falls  into 
the  pit  wherein  is  no  water. 


REMEMBERING    ALL    THE    WAY. 

Deut.  viii.  2-5,  16. 
"And  thou  shalt  remember  all  the  way  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  led  thee  these  forty  years  in  the  wilderness,  to 
humble  thee,  and  to  prove  thee,  to  know  what  was  in 
thine  heart,  whether  thou  wouldest  keep  his  commandments 
or  no.  And  he  humbled  thee,  and  suffered  thee  to  hunger, 
and  fed  thee  with  manna.  .  .  .  Thy  raiment  waxed  not  old 
apon  thee,  neither  did  thy  foot  swell,  these  forty  years.  .  .  . 
As  a  man  chasten  eth  his  son,  so  the  Lord  thy  God  chasteneth 
thee.    ...    To  do  thee  good  at  thy  latter  end." 


"N  beginning  life  we  look  forward,  and 

people  the  future  with  bright  visions. 

As  life   advances  the  tendency  is  to 

^^      look  backward ;  and  very  impressive  is 

the  contrast  between  the  high  hopes  of  the  boy 

and  the  sober  experience  of  the  man.     A  great 

writer  observes,  that  the  distant  "  rainbow  seems 

(99) 


100  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

to  be  a  real  arcli  of  emerald  and  gold ;  its  limb 
rests  on  tlie  side  of  the  liill — you  climb  and  find 
nothing  but  damp  mist :"  so  the  rainbow  hopes 
of  early  hfe  vanish  before  the  stern  lessons  of 
after  years.  In  beginning  the  Christian  Ufe, 
too,  the  mind  is  full  of  happy  dreams,  which  are 
corrected  by  riper  experience.  The  early  aspi- 
rations of  the  closet  are  strangely  quahfied  by 
the  realities  of  the  subsequent  life.  This  is 
beautifully  illustrated  by  Israel's  history  in  the 
wilderness.  The  wilderness  was  a  school  in 
which  God  trained  them  for  forty  years.  Every 
day  was  full  of  a  most  impressive  discipline. 
When  they  entered  this  school — when  they  sang 
their  song  of  triumph  beside  the  Sea — they  ex- 
pected a  speedy  victory  over  their  enemies,  and 
a  joyful  entrance  into  the  Promised  Land.  But 
God  had  great  lessons  to  teach  them,  and  be- 
fore they  could  learn  these  it  was  necessary  that 
they  should  continue  in  the  wilderness  a  long 
season.  So  the  Christian  life  is  a  school  in 
which  God  trains  us  for  heaven. 

It  is   stated   thrice  in  this   chapter  that  the 
special  end  of  the  discipline  in  the  wilderness 


BEMEMBERING  ALL  THE   WAY.  101 

was  to  liumhh  Israel.  (Ver.  2,  3,  16.)  Pride  is 
tlie  strongest  root  in  our  nature — pride  of  our 
works,  prayers,  tears — yea,  even  of  our  humility. 
Though  extirpated  in  one  place,  it  wiU  sprout 
forth  in  another :  "  Like  the  fabled  monsters  of 
old  from  whose  dissevered  neck  the  blood 
sprang  forth,  and  formed  fresh  heads."  It  must 
die  many  deaths.  It  took  forty  years  to  teach 
Israel  to  be  humble.  Hezekiah,  the  Reformer 
king,  fell  into  pride  in  the  matter  of  the  Baby- 
lonian ambassadors.  Baruch  never  had  so  hard 
a  lesson  to  learn  as  this — "  Seekest  thou  great 
tilings  for  thyself,  seek  them  not."  It  is  easy  to 
speak  of  humility  :  it  is  easy  to  say  that  it  is  the 
loveHest  of  the  graces,  that  it  resembles  the 
blushing  hly,  and  that  pride  is  the  condemna- 
tion of  the  devil ;  but  to  crucify  pride — to  cast 
down  high  imaginations,  and  bring  every 
thought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience  of 
Christ — to  slay  self,  seK-righteousness,  self-im- 
portance, self-seeking,  self-pleasing — to  adoj)t 
with  meek  tears  the  motto,  "  Christ  is  all,  and 
Self  is  notliing," — is  an  achievement  which  flesh 
and  blood  cannot  perform,  but  the  power  of  the 


102  THE   SHEPHERD  OF  ISRAEL. 

Holy  Ghost.     It  often  takes  forty  years'  severe 
discipline  to  attain  to  this. 

God  hnmbles  man  by  showing  him  loliat  is  in 
his  heart.  "  To  know  what  is  in  thine  heart." 
Had  God  led  Israel  at  once  into  the  Promised 
Land,  they  would  never  have  known  themselves. 
In  the  song  which  thrilled  on  Miriam's  harp, 
there  is  not  a  note  which  betrays  the  nnbehef  of 
the  chosen  people — their  murmuring,  their 
rebellion,  their  idolatry  in  Horeb — their  loathing 
of  the  manna — their  contempt  of  the  pleasant 
land.  But  the  wilderness  tried  them.  A  mother 
teaches  her  babe  to  walk  by  letting  its  feeble 
limbs  bend  under  it.  It  gets  many  a  fall,  but 
she  contrives  that  it  shall  fall  in  her  arms. 
Thus  God  suffers  his  saints  to  be  tempted,  and 
even  to  fall  into  sin,  in  order  to  teach  them 
what  is  in  their  hearts ;  but  he  keeps  his  ever- 
lasting arms  underneath  them.  The  sad  falls 
of  David  and  Peter  were  permitted  to  show 
that  the  root  of  every  sin  remains  in  the  re- 
newed heart.  "We  do  not  know  ourselves  till 
the  stress  of  temptation  comes.  John  Newton 
frankly  confesses   that   in   the  warmth   of   his 


EEMEMBEEING  ALL  THE  WAY.  103 

early   disciplesliip  he  expected  to  be  sanctified 
hrevi  manu  ;  but  that  is  not  God's  way. 

"I  hoped  that  in  some  favored  hour, 
At  once  he'd  answer  my  request ; 
And  by  his  love's  constraining  power, 
Subdue  my  sins,  and  give  me  rest. 

"Instead  of  this,  he  made  me  feel 

The  hidden  evils  of  my  heart : 

Ajid  let  the  angry  powers  of  hell 

Assault  my  soul  in  every  part. 

"Yea,  more,  with  his  own  hand  he  seemed 
Intent  to  aggravate  my  woe  : 
Crossed  aU  the  fair  designs  I  schemed, 
Blasted  my  gourds,  and  laid  me  low. 

"  'Lord,  why  is  this?'  I  trembling  cried. 
'  Wilt  thou  pursue  thy  worm  to  death  ?' 
''Tis  in  this  way,'  the  Lord  replied, 
'I  answer  prayer  for  grace  and  faith. 

*'  'These  inward  trials  I  employ, 

From  self  and  pride  to  set  thee  free  ; 
And  break  thy  schemes  of  earthly  joy, 
That  thou  mayest  seek  thy  all  in  me.'  " 

In  treating  tliis  subject  there  are  two  courses 
open  to  us  : 

First,  To  review  the  chief  resting-places 
where  Israel  halted.  This  would  lead  us,  in  the 
wake  of  the  pillar  of  cloud,  to  taste  of  Marah's 
bitter  waters,  and  to  the  refreshing  shade   of 


104  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISEAEL. 

Elim's  palm-trees.  It  would  lead  us  to  tlie  des- 
ert of  sin,  where  God  rained  down  the  manna, 
and  to  Kephidim,  where  the  water  gushed  from 
the  rock.  It  would  lead  us  to  Sinai  with  its 
blackness  and  darkness  and  tempest,  and  to  the 
wilderness  of  Paran,  where  Moses  said  to 
Hobab,  "We  are  journeying  to  the  place  of 
which  the  Lord  said,  I  will  give  it  you ;  come 
thou  with  us  and  we  will  do  thee  good."  It 
would  lead  us  by  the  land  of  Edom,  where 
Moses  lifted  up  the  brazen  serpent,  and  by  the 
plains  of  Moab,  where  Balaam  saw  Israel  in 
their  gHttering  tents.  It  would  lead  us  to 
Mount  Hor,  where  Aaron  died,  and  to  Mount 
Nebo,  from  whose  summit  Moses  looked  across 
upon  the  Promised  Land.  This  might  be  a  very- 
profitable  mode  of  treatment.  "We  might  glean 
many  full  ears  in  so  rich  a  portion  of  the 
Kinsman's  field  :  or — 

Second,  To  consider  the  characteristics  of 
God's  guidance  all  through  the  wilderness. 

We  shall  take  the  second  of  these  methods. 
And  there  are  four  characteristics  of  God's 
guidance  which  we   shall  reverently  consider. 


EE.MEMBEKING   ALL   THE   WAY.  105 

It    was  sovereign,  mysterious,  fatherly,  and  all- 
loise, 

1.  It  was  Sovereign.  God  is  a  great  King. 
"  He  does  according  to  liis  will  in  the  armies  of 
heayen,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth."  Sovereignty  belongs  to  the  very  idea 
of  God.  Cherubim  and  seraphim  cast  their 
crowns  at  his  feet.  You  see  his  sovereignty 
in  creation.  "He  spake  and  it  was  done,  he 
commanded  and  it  stood  fast."  The  archangel 
and  the  worm,  the  atom  that  floats  in  the 
breeze  and  the  sun  that  shines  in  the  firma- 
ment, arose  from  nothing  at  his  word.  You  see 
it  in  Providence.  It  binds  the  sweet  influences 
of  Pleiades  and  looses  the  bands  of  Orion,  and  at 
the  same  moment  guides  the  fall  of  a  sparrow. 
It  shapes  our  destinies.  It  fixes  the  bounds 
of  our  habitations.  "There's  a  divinity  that 
shapes  our  ends,  rough-hew  them  as  we  wiU." 
One  takes  to  merchandise — another  to  books — 
another  to  poHtics — and  they  imagine  that  their 
own  wills  have  so  ordained  it.  As  well  might 
the  fly  on  the  carriage-wheel  exclaim,  "  What 
a  dust  do  I  raise,"  as  worms  of  the  dust  attrib- 


106  THE   SHEPHERD   OE  ISRAEL. 

ute  to  tlieir  own  foresight  tliose  movements 
wliicli  are  ordained  by  him  who  hath  of  old 
prepared  his  throne  in  the  heavens,  and  w^hose 
kingdom  ruleth  over  all.  God  moves  behind 
the  dial-plate,  and  the  touch  of  his  finger  regu- 
lates the  wondrous  mechanism  of  the  universe. 
When  the  ship  is  sailing  over  the  pathless  sea, 
some  of  the  passengers  may  be  walking  forward, 
some  aft,  some  may  be  standing  still,  and  some 
sleeping  securely  in  their  berths ;  but  the  man 
at  the  helm  controls  the  movements  of  them  all 
as  he  steers  his  ship  through  the  billows. 

You  see  the  same  sovereignty  in  grace.  "I 
thank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth, 
because  thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed  them  unto 
babes."  God  showed  his  sovereignty  in  choos- 
ing Israel  from  among  the  nations.  He  showed 
it  in  guiding  tliem  through  the  wilderness.  He 
taught  them  that  his  will  and  not  theirs  must  be 
their  rule.  They  must  bow  their  heads  and 
adore.  Like  a  tall  angel  beckoning,  the  pillar 
of  cloud  led  the  way,  and  they  must  follow.  It 
often  moved  by  night  when  they  would  wish 


EEMEMBEEING  ALL  THE   WAY.  107 

it  to  rest,  and  it  often  rested  by  day  when  tliey 
wished  it  to  move.  Sometimes  it  went  back- 
wards. But  they  must  follow  it.  Their  safety 
— their  very  life — depended  on  this. 

How  sovereign  the  Divine  guidance  has  been 
in  your  oicii  case  !  Eemember  the  day  when  he 
brought  you  out  of  Egypt,  and  led  you  through 
the  Eed  Sea.  Eemember  the  day  when  he 
separated  you  from  your  old  companions.  You 
were  no  better  than  they.  Perhaps  you  were 
worse.     But  gi-ace  laid  hold  of  you. 

"  Chosen  not  for  good  in  me, 
Wakened  up  fi-om  wrath  to  flee." 

Bunyan  tells,  in  his  Grace  Abounding,  that 
when  a  boy  he  had  a  narrow  escape  from  disown- 
ing. Soon  after,  he  enlisted  in  the  Parlia- 
mentary army.  His  regiment  being  ordered  to 
the  siege  of  Leicester,  he  repented  of  the  step 
he  had  taken,  and  got  a  comrade  to  take  his 
place.  His  comrade  was  shot  through  the  head. 
A  loose  woman  in  the  street  rebuked  him  for 
swearing,  and  told  him  that  he  was  the  most 
fearful  swearer  she  had  ever  heard,  and  that  he 
was  enough  to  corrupt  the  whole  town.     After 


108  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

many  sore  struggles,  lie  "  came  up  to  the  Cross, 
and  his  burden  loosed  from  off  his  shoulders, 
and  fell  from  his  back,  and  began  to  tumble,  and 
so  continued  to  do,  till  it  came  to  the  mouth  of 
the  sepulchre,  where  it  fell  in  and  he  saw  it  no 
more." 

Perhaps  the  lines  in  your  case  are  not  so 
clear.  Still  you  can  remember  that,  when  God 
began  to  deal  with  you,  you  were  as  clay  in  the 
hands  of  the  potter.  You  can  see  that  a 
Higher  Power  than  your  own  ordained  the  cir- 
cumstances which  resulted  in  your  conversion. 
You  can  recall  the  prayers  of  a  mother  now  in 
heaven.  You  can  recall  the  book  that  first 
made  you  feel  that  you  had  a  soul.  Perhaps  it 
was  "  The  Saint's  Eest,"  or  "  The  Dairyman's 
Daughter,"  or  "The  Anxious  Inquirer,"  or 
"  The  Sinner's  Friend."  You  can  recall  the  ser- 
mon which  you  could  not  forget — the  word 
which  left  an  indelible  mark  upon  your  heart — 
the  starting  tear — the  spot  where  first  you 
sought  to  be  alone  with  God.  And  possibly 
you  met  an  old  companion  who  confessed  that 
he  felt   as   you   felt.    Or   you   can   recall  the 


REMEMBERING  ALL  THE  WAY.  109 

illness  tliat  brought  you  to  the  edge  of  the 
grave,  or  the  bereavement  that  left  such  a  waste- 
ful blank  in  the  house.  There  may  be  much 
darkness  in  your  spiritual  conceptions — jon 
may  seldom  be  able  to  say  with  full  assurance, 
"  One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  bhnd, 
now  I  see;" — ^but,  my  friend,  you  can  never 
forget  your  first  sight  of  the  Cross,  your  first 
sense  of  pardon,  your  first  sacrament,  when 
Jesus  stood  unveiled  to  faith  in  his  person  and 
love  and  death,  and  you  phghted  your  troth  in 
the  words,  "What  things  were  gain  to  me, 
those  I  counted  loss  for  Christ ;  yea  doubtless, 
and  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency 
of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord, 
for  whom  I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things, 
and  do  count  them  but  dung  that  I  may  win 
Christ!" 

Grace  and  love  appear  in  all  these  steps  ;  but 
it  is  the  grace  and  love  of  the  King  of  kings. 
Who  made  you  to  differ  ?  Why  were  you  taken 
when  others  were  left  ?  It  was  sovereign  grace. 
But  remember  God  is  as  sovereign  in  ordering 
the    subsequent  steps  of   the  pilgrimage  as  in 


110  THE   SHEPHEKD   OF   ISRAEL. 

ordering  tlie  earlier  ones.  If  we  kept  this  in 
mind,  it  would  teach  us  child-like,  unquestioning 
submission.  "  Not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt." 
Charnocke  observes,  in  his  great  work  on  the 
Attributes,  that  "if  we  lose  sight  of  God's 
sovereignty  we  fall  into  error,  just  as  in  a  school, 
if  the  master  is  out  of  sight,  the  children  leave 
their  places,  and  the  school  is  in  confusion."  A 
right  apprehension  of  God's  sovereignty  is  not 
only  the  best  safeguard  against  theological  error, 
but  the  best  safeguard  against  fretting  and  mur- 
muring. The  young  disciple  has  an  ideal 
which  he  hopes  to  reach,  a  work  which  he 
hopes  to  do — he  has  favorite  plans  and  schemes 
which,  it  may  be,  have  cost  him  many  a  prayer  : 
— but  as  he  advances  in  the  Christian  Hfe,  and 
sees  the  great  wheel  of  Providence  breaking  his 
plans  in  pieces,  and  scattering  his  hopes  like 
withered  leaves — he  learns  the  deeper  truth, 
"There  are  many  devices  in  a  man's  heart'; 
nevertheless  the  counsel  of  the  Lord,  that  shall 
stand."  (Prov.  xix.  21.) 

"Thy  way,  not  mine,  O  Lord, 
However  dark  it  be  ! 


EEMEMBERmG  ALL  THE   WAY.  Ill 

Lead  me  by  thine  own  hand, 
Choose  out  the  path  for  me. 

"Smooth  let  it  be  or  rough, 
It  will  be  still  the  best  ; 
Winding  or  straight,  it  leads 
Eight  onward  to  thy  rest." 

2.  It  was  mysterious. 

"  It  is  the  glory  of  God  to  conceal  a  thing." 
"  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round  about  him, 
righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  habitation 
of  his  throne."  We  could  not  bear  the  insuffer- 
able splendor  of  his  presence, — therefore  in 
mercy  to  us  "  he  maketli  darkness  his  secret 
place,  his  pavilion  round  about  him  are  dark 
waters  and  thick  clouds  of  the  skies."  The 
mysteriousness  of  his  guidance  was  fitly  em- 
blemed by  the  pillar  of  cloud,  which  in  one 
respect  revealed  God,  but  in  another  concealed 
him.  The  same  lesson  is  taught  in  Ezekiel's 
vision  of  the  wheels — where,  to  show  in  the 
same  breath  the  incomprehensibleness  and  the 
unerring  wisdom  of  God's  counsels,  it  is  said, 
"  The  rings  were  so  high  that  they  were  dreadful, 
and  they  were  full  of  eyes  round  about  them 
four."  (Ezek.  i.  18.) 


112  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

Holo  strangely  light  mid  shade  alternated  in 
their  history.  Their  forty  years  were  like  an 
April  day — sunshine  and  shower.  A  great 
dehverance,  then  murmuring;  Marah,  then 
EHm ;  hunger,  then  angels'  food ;  thirst,  then 
the  rock  turned  into  a  fountain  of  waters; 
Sinai's  thunder,  then  peace  through  the  sprinkling 
of  blood;  fear,  then  victory;  weariness,  then 
Eest :  such  was  the  history  of  the  chosen 
people  in  the  wilderness.  Such  is  their  history 
now.  It  must  be  so.  It  is  only  children  that 
ask.  Why  does  the  tide  ebb  and  flow — why  are 
there  waves  on  the  sea — why  are  there  clouds 
on  the  sky  ?  "  While  the  earth  remaineth, 
summer  and  winter,  and  day  and  night,  shall  not 
cease."  The  Christian  hfe  is  a  series  of  ups 
and  downs.  What  alternations  of  grief  and 
gladness!  To-day  in  the  banqueting-house, 
to-morrow  eating  the  bread  of  tears.  To-day 
coming  up  from  the  wilderness  leaning  on  your 
Beloved,  to-morrow  walking  in  darkness.  To- 
day in  a  large  room,  to-morrow  without  a  place 
where  to  plant  your  feet.  To-day  on  Pisgah 
breathing  the  air  of  heaven,  to-morrow  breathing 


EEMEMBEEING  ALL  THE   WAY.  113 

the  malaria  of  earth.  Faint  yet  pursuing, 
sorrowful  yet  always  rejoicing,  cast  down  and 
lifted  up,  wounded  and  healed,  weakened  and 
strengthened,  emptied  and  filled,  allied  to 
heaven  by  reason  of  the  new  man,  allied  to  hell 
by  reason  of  the  old  man,  tempted  by  the 
devil,  defended  by  the  Omnipotent  arm  of  him 
who  came  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil : 
behold  the  many-sided  discipline  of  the  family 
of  God.  *'  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day, 
that  the  light  shall  not  be  clear,  nor  dark  :  but 
it  shall  be  one  day  which  shall  be  known  to  the 
Lord,  not  day,  nor  night ;  but  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  at  evening  time  it  shall  be  hght." 
(Zech.  xiv.  6,  7.)  It  shall  not  be  clear  sunshine, 
nor  total  darkness,  but  a  dim  twilight,  as  you 
journey  onwards  and  upwards.  But  it  shall  be 
one  day — a  day  altogether  unique,  different 
from  all  others — w^hich  shall  be  known  to  the 
Lord ;  and  it  shall  brighten  gloriously  towards 
evening."^ 

*  This  is  powerfully  put  by  Mr.  Spurgeon  :    "A  pilgrim 

sets  out  in  the  morning,  and  he  has  to  journey  many  a  day 

before  he  gets  to  the  shrine  which  he  seeks.     What  varied 

Bcenes  the  traveller  will  behold  on  his  way  !    Sometimes  he 

8 


114  THE   SHEPHERD    OF   ISRAEL. 

How  strangely  God  made  all  things  luorJc 
together  for  tJieir  good. 

A  ship  on  her  voyage  to  Madeira  was  caught 
in  a  storm,  and  in  danger  of  being  lost.  A 
godly  minister  on  board  prayed  for  calm  wea- 
ther, and  his  prayer  was  answered.  They  had 
a  fortnight  of  calm,  without  a  breath  of  wind. 
They  soon  found,  however,  that  this^was  very 

will  be  on  tlie  mountains,  anon  lie  will  descend  into  tlie  val- 
leys ;  here  he  will  be  where  the  brooks  shine  like  silver, 
where  the  birds  warble,  where  the  air  is  balmy,  and  the 
trees  are  green,  and  luscious  fruits  hang  down  to  gratify  his 
taste  :  anon  he  will  find  himself  in  the  arid  desert,  where  no 
life  is  found,  and  no  sound  is  heard,  except  the  screech  of 
the  wild  eagle  in  the  air  :  where  he  finds  no  rest  for  the  sole 
of  his  foot — the  burning  sky  above  him,  and  the  hot  sand 
beneath  him —  no  roof-tree  and  no  house  to  rest  himself :  at 
another  time  he  finds  himself  in  a  sweet  oasis,  resting  him- 
self by  the  wells  of  water,  and  plucking  fruit  from  palm- 
trees.  One  moment  he  walks  between  the  rocks  in  some 
narrow  gorge,  where  all  is  darkness  :  at  another  time  he 
ascends  the  hill  Mizar  :  now  he  descends  into  the  vaUey  of 
Baca  ;  anon  he  climbs  the  hill  of  Bashan, — '  a  high  hill  is  the 
hill  of  Bashan  ;'  and  yet  again  going  into  the  den  of  leopards, 
he  suffers  trial  and  affliction.  Such  is  the  Christian  life — 
ever  changing.  Who  can  tell  what  may  come  next  ?  To-day 
it  is  fair — the  next  day  there  may  be  the  thundering  storm  ; 
to-day  I  may  want  for  nothing — to-morrow  I  may  be  like 
Jacob,  with  nothing  but  a  stone  for  my  pillow,  and  the 
heavens  for  my  curtains.     But  what  a  happy  thought  it  is, 


BEMEMBEEING  ALL  THE  WAY.  115 

undesirable,  for  during  the  whole  fortnight  they 
scarcely  made  a  single  mile  of  way.  In  the 
storm  they  had  been  running  fast  before  the 
wind  under  bare  poles.  They  had  to  pray  for 
wind  again.  It  is  thus  that  God  uses  the  storm 
of  temptation  to  drive  us  on  our  voyage.  In 
the  calm  we  make  no  progress. 

A  gentleman  on  a  visit  to  a  friend  saw  a 
beautiful  horse  feeding  about  in  the  pasture 
with  a  clog  on  his  foot,  and  asked,  "  Why  do 
you  clog  such  a  noble  animal  ?"  "  Sir,"  said 
he,  "  I  would  a  great  deal  sooner  clog  him  than 
lose  him  ;  he  is  given  to  leaping  hedges."  That 
is  the  reason  why  God  clogs  his  people.  He 
would  rather  clog  them  than  lose  them  ;  for  if 
he   did  not   clog  them,   they  would  leap  the 

thougli  we  know  not  where  the  road  winds,  we  know  where 
it  ends.  It  is  the  straightest  way  to  heaven  to  go  round 
about.  Israel's  forty  years  wanderings  were,  after  all,  the 
nearest  path  to  Canaan.  We  may  have  to  go  through  trial 
and  aMction  :  the  pilgrimage  may  be  a  tiresome  one,  but  it 
is  safe  :  we  cannot  trace  the  river  upon  which  we  are  sailing, 
but  we  know  it  ends  in  floods  of  bliss  at  last.  We  cannot 
track  the  roads,  but  we  know  that  they  all  meet  in  the  great 
metropolis  of  heaven,  in  the  centre  of  God's  universe." — 
Spurgeon. 


116  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

hedges  and  be  gone.     They  want  a  tether  to 
prevent  them  from  straymg. 

My  friend !  remember  all  the  way  which  the 
Lord  led  thee.  "  The  great  and  terrible  wild- 
erness, the  fiery  serpents  and  scorpions  and 
drought "  (ver.  15),  the  hunger  and  thirst,  were 
all  designed  to  do  thee  good  at  thy  latter  end. 
Sickness,  bereavement,  tears,  want,  woe,  disap- 
pointments, hidings,  doubts,  fears — are  the 
ingredients  in  the  medicine  which  the  Physician 
employs  to  cure  your  ail.  You  may  not  see  hoiv 
it  is  so.  Believe  that  it  is  so.  He  can  make 
seemingly  contrary  providences  conspire  for 
this  end, — just  as  the  wheels  of  a  watch,  though 
mo^dng  in  contrary  directions,  have  all  one  end 
— the  regulation  of  time.  "Kemember  all  the 
way  which  the  Lord  led  thee," — ^until,  lost  in 
wonder,  love,  and  praise,  you  sing,  "As  the 
heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  his 
ways  higher  than  our  ways,  and  his  thoughts 
than  our  thoughts." 

"With  mercy  and  with  judgment, 
My  web  of  time  he  wove, 
And  aye  the  dews  of  sorrow 
Were  lustred  witL  his  love. 


EEMEMBEEINa  ALL  THE   WAY.  117 

I'll  bless  the  hand  that  guided, 
I'll  bless  the  heart  that  planned, 

When  throned  where  glory  dwelleth 
In  Emmanuel's  land."  * 

And  how  minute  the  links  on  which  he  hangs 
the  grandest  results !  One  night,  when  John 
"Wesley  was  an  infant,  his  father's  house  took 
fire.  All  the  inmates  escaped,  and  the  good 
man  was  in  the  act  of  thanking  God  for  their 
dehverance,  when  he  discovered  that  the  infant 
was  missing.  The  flames  were  bursting  through 
the  windows,  and  the  crackhng  roof  was  almost 
falhng  in.  At  this  awful  moment  the  nurse, 
almost  suffocated  with  smoke  and  scorched  with 
the  flames,  was  seen  standing  in  the  window  of 
the  top  story,  with  the  infant  in  her  arms, 
shrieking  for  help.  The  father  seized  a  ladder, 
planted  it  against  the  wall,  sprang  to  the  top, 
and  saved  the  child.  Another  moment,  and 
they  had  been  buried  in  the  ruins.  And  this 
was  the  man — thus  saved  from  the  fire — who, 

*  On  the  wall  of  the  old  castle  of  Huntly,  one  of  the 
Dukes  of  Gordon  carved  the  words  which  may  still  be  read, 
"TO  •  THAES  •  THAT  •  LOVE  •  GOD  •  AL  •  THINGIS  • 
VIEKIS  •  FOE  •  THE  •  BEST.  "—Duc/iess  0/  Gordon's  Life. 


118  THE   SHEPHEBD   OF  ISRAEL. 

during  a  ministry  of  sixty  years,  approved  liim- 
self  as  the  lioliest  and  most  laborious  man  of 
Iris  age — who  preached  sixty  thousand  sermons 
— and  gave  an  unparalleled  impulse  to  the 
Christianity  of  England ! 

3.  It  was  fatlierly. 

"  Thou  shalt  also  consider  in  thine  heart, 
that,  as  a  man  chasteneth  his  son,  so  the  Lord 
thy  God  chasteneth  thee."  (Yer.  5.)  "  The  Lord 
thy  God  bare  thee,  as  a  man  doth  bear  his  son, 
in  all  the  way  that  ye  went,  until  ye  came  into 
this  place."  (Deut.  i.  31.)  In  Acts  xiii.  18,  where 
we  read  in  the  common  version,  "  About  the 
time  of  forty  years  suffered  he  their  manners  in 
the  wilderness" — the  true  reading  is  admitted 
to  be,  "  He  cherished  them  as  a  nurse  the  infant 
in  her  bosom."  He  "  bare  them  as  on  eagles' 
wings,  and  brought  them  to  himseK."  "When 
they  were  hungry,  he  gave  them  bread  from 
heaven.  It  fell  around  their  tents.  Every  day 
brought  a  new  supply.  They  had  only  to 
gather  it.  It  never  failed  till  they  reached 
Canaan.  When  they  were  thirsty,  he  gave 
them   water   fi'om    the    rock.       Their  raiment 


EEMEICBEKING  ALL  THE  WAY.  119 

waxed  not  old,  and  their  slioes  never  grew  old 
upon  their  feet  for  forty  years.  (Deut.  xxix.  5.) 
When  they  knew  not  where  to  go,  he  guided 
them  by  the  cloudy  pillar.  When  they  were 
beset  by  enemies,  he  defended  them  as  a  wall  of 
fire.  It  was  fatherly  guidance.  When  it  was 
severe,  it  was  the  severity  of  Love.  "  As  many 
as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten."  For  forty 
years  he  canied  them  as  a  father  carries  a 
weary  or  sickly  child  in  his  arms. 

He  has  dealt  thus  with  you.  He  has  given 
you  the  true  tread  from  heaven.  You  have 
eaten  Christ's  flesh,  which  is  meat  indeed,  and 
his  blood,  which  is  drink  indeed.  He  has  fed 
you  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat,  and  with  honey 
out  of  the  rock  he  has  satisfied  you.  Ah,  my 
friend !  remember  all  the  way  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  led  thee  these  forty  years.  What 
manna  you  have  found  in  the  Bible!  What 
hallowed  hours  you  have  spent  over  it,  until  a 
glory  rested  on  the  page,  and  its  texts  shone 
like  stars!  Eemember  communion  Sabbaths 
long  ago,  when  you  came  to  the  house  of  God 
dark  and  sad,  and  a  glorious  light  surprised  you. 


120  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

and  you  went  home  saying,  "  I  have  seen  more 
in  the  Word  to-day  than  I'll  ever  be  able  to 
express  in  this  world!"  Eemember  the  day 
when  God  gave  the  minister  the  very  word  that 
met  your  case,  that  healed  your  wound,  and 
soothed  your  sorrow,  and  made  you  say,  "It 
looks  as  if  some  one  had  told  him!"  Such 
words  have  often  come  back  even  in  a  dying 
hour,  and  pillowed  the  dying  head.  Boston  tells 
of  one  of  his  flock  who  died  in  the  Lord,  and 
who  said  to  him  with  his  last  breath,  "  I  bless 
God  that  ever  Tve  seen  your  face !" 

And  he  has  given  you  raiment  which  never 
grows  old,  and  shoes  which  will  last  tiU  you  walk 
the  golden  streets.  Eemember  the  day  when  he 
said,  "  Bring  forth  the  best  robe,  and  put  it  on 
him,  and  put  a  ring  upon  his  hand,  and  shoes 
on  his  feet." 

Eemember  how  he  guided  you  when  you  knew 
not  where  to  go.  Eemember  critical  junctures 
in  your  history — marked  eras,  beautifully  named 
"  the  water-sheds  of  life,"  where  a  false  step  had 
been  fatal,  and  no  human  voice  could  direct; 
and  when  you  cried  out  of  the  depths  of  your 


EEMEMBERING  ALL  THE   WAY.  121 

perplexity,  "  Lead,  Saviour,  lead,"  you  "  heard  a 
voice  behind  you  saying,  This  is  the  way,  walk 
thou  in  it."  How  often  you  have  had  experi- 
ence of  this ! 

Remember  how  he  delivered  you  from  your 
enemies  by  the  way.  The  archers  sorely  grieved 
you.  Satan  wounded  you  with  his  fiery  darts, 
and  you  were  brought  low  ;  but  he  bound  up 
your  wounds,  and  enabled  you  to  say,  "  Rejoice 
not  against  me,  O  mine  enemy :  when  I  fall,  I 
shall  arise  ;  when  I  sit  in  darkness,  the  Lord 
shall  be  a  hght  unto  me."  Remember  that  a 
Father  has  been  guiding  you  these  forty  years 
in  the  wilderness. 

Two  boys  wandered  from  home,  and  came  to 
a  very  high  tree.  They  were  told  that  if  they 
chmbed  to  the  top  they  could  see  very  far. 
One  of  them  tried  to  climb,  but  when  he  was 
half-way  up,  the  branch  broke,  and  he  fell  to 
the  ground.  His  brother,  almost  dead  with 
fear,  tried  to  Hft  him,  but  could  not.  At  last  he 
ran  home  to  tell  his  father.  He  was  afraid  to 
tell.  His  heart  was  too  big,  and  he  stammered. 
His  father  saw  in  his  face  what  happened,  and 


122  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

cried,  "  Tell  me  where  my  poor  bruised  boy  is !" 
and  ran  to  help  the  sufferer.  That  boy  learned 
more  of  a  father's  heart  that  day  than  he  had 
kno'\yn  before.  My  friend,  let  us  deeply  ponder 
the  fatherly  love  of  God.  We  suffer  much  by 
forgetting  it.  Dr.  Macdonald  of  Ferintosh 
expressed  regret  on  his  death-bed  that  he  had 
not  dwelt  more  in  his  preaching  on  the  love  of 
the  Father. 

4.  It  was  all-wise. 

The  best  means  were  used  for  the  best  ends. 
The  ends  were  to  humble  us  and  to  prove  us,  to 
make  us  know  what  was  in  our  hearts,  and  to  do 
us  good  at  the  latter  end.  God's  guidance  of 
us  was  the  best  fitted  to  secure  these  ends. 

We  cannot  see  this  now — strugghng  uphill, 
veiled  in  mists,  often  crushed  and  ill-bestead — 
but  when  we  reach  the  summit,  and  get  into  the 
glorious  hght,  we  shall  see  that  every  part  of 
our  discipline,  to  its  minutest  details,  was 
indispensable  to  work  us  to  God's  ideal — to 
make  us  what  he  would  have  us  to  be.  We 
shall  then  see  how  sweet  were  the  uses  of  ad- 
versity.    We  shall  then  see  that  want  and  woe 


KEMEMBERING  ALL  THE   WAY.  123 

were  blessed  angels  in  disguise.  We  shall  tlien 
see  tliat  the  night  of  weeping  was  the  time  when 
Christ  was  nearest  and  the  promises  sweetest, 
as  darkness  shows  us  worlds  of  light  we  never 
saw  by  day.  We  shall  then  see  that  by  sending 
bereavement  God  but  darkened  our  room  to 
give  us  clearer  visions  of  his  glory.  We  shall 
then  see  that  he  never  once  did  us  an  unkind 
thing.  We  shall  then  see  that  it  was  in  great 
mercy  and  love  that  he  refused  to  answer  many 
of  our  prayers."  We  would  shake  the  tree 
before  the  fruit  was  ripe.  He  would  not  let  us 
eat  unripe  fi'uit.  He  kept  us  waiting  till  the 
"  due  season,"  and  in  our  impatience  we  "  chat- 
tered like  a  crane  or  a  swallow,"  and  thought 

*  "A  child  who  has  never  seen  a  serpent  before,  and  who 
looks  at  it  through  the  glass  frame,  may  think  it  very 
beautiful.  As  it  curls  and  glides  about  in  its  folds  of 
green  and  gold,  and  its  ruby  eyes  sparkle  in  the  sun,  it 
looks  far  prettier  than  more  famiUar  objects,  and  the 
child  may  long  to  grasp  it.  'But  what  man  is  there 
among  you  who  is  a  father,  if  his  son  ask  a  serpent, 
will  he  give  him  the  serpent?'  And  supposing  that  the 
fretful  child  should  weep  because  ho  is  not  allowed  to 
fondle  the  asp,  could  worse  befall  him  than  just  to  be 
allowed  to  smash  the  case  and  clutch  the  envenomed 
reptile?" — Mount  of  Olives,  p.  137. 


124  THE  SHEPHERD    OF  ISRAEL. 

that  he  dealt  out  to  us  very  hard  lines.  We 
shall  then  see  that  "  terrible  things  in  righteous- 
ness "  were  the  best  answer  to  our  prayers. 
We  shall  then  see  that  the  weariness  and 
painfulness  of  the  wilderness,  the  straits  that 
pinched  us,  the  crooks  in  our  lot  that  worried 
us,  and  even  the  falls  that  often  made  us  give 
up  all  for  lost — were  all  needed.  There  was  a 
"  need-be  "  (1  Pet.  i.  6)  for  them,  else  he  would 
not  have  sent  them  :  "  for  he  doth  not  afflict 
willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men :  but 
though  he  cause  grief,  yet  he  will  have  com- 
passion according  to  the  multitude  of  his 
mercies."  (Lam.  iii.  32,  33.)  Captain  Cook 
tells  that  once  in  a  dark,  stormy  night,  he  saw 
by  the  glare  of  a  flash  of  lightning  a  ship 
beside  him  which,  but  for  the  flash,  he  must 
have  run  foul  of.  It  was  a  strange  means  of 
deliverance.  As  strange  are  many  of  the  ways 
which  God  takes  to  deUver  his  own,  and  to  do 
them  good  in  their  latter  end.  "By  ten 
thousand  thousand  instrumentalities,  and  agen- 
cies, and  influences — the  circumstances  of  your 
infancy ;    the     opportunities,     companionships, 


EEMEMBEEING   ALL   THE   WAY.  125 

and  temptations  of  your  youth ;  the  trials, 
occupations,  and  connections  of  your  riper  years, 
he  has  been  unconsciously  forming  and  fashion-  ^ 
ing  you  "  into  a  vessel  of  honor."  How  tender 
the  words,  "  to  do  thee  good  at  thy  latter  end  r 
Eemember  Israel's  experience — "  There  failed 
not  aught  of  any  good  thing  which  the  Lord  had 
spoken  unto  the  house  of  Israel ;  all  came  to 
pass."     (Joshua  xxi.  45.) 

We    conclude  with  three   words  of  counsel 
to  fellow-pilgrims : 

First,  Set  up  a  memorial  pillar  this  day,  and 
call  it  Ebenezer,  saying,  "Hitherto  hath  the 
Lord  helped  us."  Take  a  broad  and  discrimi- 
nating view  of  the  mercies  God  has  showered 
upon  you  these  forty  years.  Muse  on  them 
till  the  fire  burns.  Cultivate  a  thankful,  joyful, 
praising  spirit.  Sing  like  David,  "Who  am 
I,  O  Lord  God,  and  what  is  my  house  that  thou 
hast  brought  me  hitherto :"  "  What  shall  I 
render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits  towards 
me  ?"  Eemember  the  Bethels,  the  Peniels,  the 
Elims,  the  Ebenezers  along  the  way.  Look 
*  Milne's  "Gatherings  from  a  Ministry,"  p.  12. 


12G  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

back  and  see  as  many  Ebenezers  piled  up  be- 
hind you,  as  tliere  are  miles  from  Dundee  to 
Loudon,  with  oil  poured  upon  the  top  of  them ! 
Kemember  the  sacred  spots,  the  hallowed  hours. 
Think  of  this  danger  and  that  danger  from 
which  he  saved  you,  of  this  rock  and  that  rock 
on  wlxicli  you  might  have  made  shipwreck. 
"  You  know  some  of  your  youthful  comrades 
who  have  gone  flagrantly  astray.  They  have 
dropped  from  the  current  and  highway  of  life, 
and  are  become  outcasts  and  waifs  in  society." 
You  are  on  your  way  to  the  Celestial  City.  He 
has  brought  you  thus  far,  and  he  says  to-day, 
"My  presence  shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will 
give  thee  rest."  All  you  have  got  is  only  a 
drop  of  the  ocean.  The  milk  and  honey  are  be- 
yond the  wilderness.  The  crown  is  ghttering 
yonder. 

Second,  3Iourn  over  past  unprofita'bleri£ss. 
Forty  years  are  a  long  time  to  learn  a  lesson, 
and  it  is  a  bitter  thought  if  the  forty  years  are 
gone,  and  the  lesson  unlearned.  Drop  a  tear 
over  the  murmurings  of  the  wilderness.  Drop  a 
tear  over  the  sins  of  your  youth,  over  secret 


REMEMBERING  ALL  THE  WAY.  127 

sins,  over  your  besetting  sin.  Drop  a  tear  over 
the  years  which  the  locust  hath  eaten.  And 
redouble  your  diHgence,  for  the  time  is  short. 

Third,  Look  joiif idly  for  icard.  The  Christian's 
golden  age  is  Onward.  Those  whom  God  has 
led  these  forty  years  in  the  wilderness  are  now 
near  the  rest  that  remaineth.  The  fact  that 
you  have  had  troubles  is  a  proof  of  Jesus'  faith- 
fulness :  for  you  have  had  one-half  of  liis  legacy 
ah'eady,  and  you  vnR  soon  have  the  other  half. 
(John  xvi.  33.)  Soon  you  ^vill  sight  the  shining 
shore.  The  ship  that  has  plunged  and  labored 
in  the  midnight  tempest  ^^dll  soon  be  seen  with 
her  white  sails  all  spread  entering  the  haven  of 
Emmanuel's  Land.  Wilberforce  has  a  beau- 
tiful thought :  "  Sailors  on  their  voyage  will 
drink  '  Friends  astern '  till  they  are  half-way 
over,  then  *  Friends  ahead '  :  with  me  it  has 
been  '  Friends  ahead  '  this  long  time." 

Some  can  look  back  on  forty  or  sixty  years  of 
wandering  in  tliB  wilderness  who  are  not  pil- 
grims to  Canaan.  They  have  no  deliverance 
from  Egypt  to  look  back  upon.  They  have  no 
newbirth-day    to  look  back  upon.     Life  is  a 


128  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

wilderness  journey  to  them  too — rough  and 
weary — through  serpents  and  scorpions  and 
drought;  but  alas!  with  no  Canaan  beyond. 
It  is  the  saddesis  thought  in  the  world.  To 
look  back  on  a  lost  Hfe — the  flower  of  one's  da}' s 
— the  lohole  of  one's  days  given  to  the  service 
of  the  devil !  My  friend,  mourn  over  a  wasted 
life  :  haste  to  the  door  of  mercy  which  is  yet 
standing  open,  lest  God  swear  in  his  wrath  that 
you  shall  not  enter  into  his  rest.  You  have  not 
a  moment  to  lose  ! 

'*  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform  ; 
He  plants  his  footsteps  in  the  sea, 
And  rides  upon  the  storm. 

"Ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take: 
The  clouds  ye  so  much  dread 
Are  big  with  mercy,  and  shall  break 
In  blessings  on  your  head. 

"Judge  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sense, 
But  trust  him  for  his  grace  ; 
Behind  a  frowning  Providence 
He  hides  a  smiling  face. 

"  His  purposes  will  ripen  fast. 
Unfolding  every  hour  ; 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 
But  sweet  will  be  the  flower." 

NEC  VOLENTI  — NEC  VOLANTI. 


VI 


THE  STBANGER  IN  THE  EAETH. 

PsAiiM  cxix.  19. 
"I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth." 

"I  am  soon  to  leave  this  beautifiil  world,  and  I  am 
anxious  to  carry  as  perfect  a  calotype  of  it  as  possible 
along  with  me  :  and,  therefore,  I  gaze  with  unwearied 
dehght  upon  the  trees  and  flowers,  and  the  blue  sky 
and  the  faces  of  men." — Eev.  Db.  John  DtnsrcAN. 


:^\f^^^OJJ  have  seen  Knox's  monument  in  the 
i^m/^  Necropolis  of  Glasgow.  The  statue  of 
f^^  the  great  reformer,  looking  down  from 
its  high  column,  seems  to  speak  words 
of  warning  to  us  still.  About  fifty  yards  to  the 
west  of  this  monument,  and  down  the  slope  of 
the  hill,  may  be  seen  a  slab  in  the  face  of  the 
rock  with  the  two  brief  texts  graven  upon  it, 
"Jesus  wept;"  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God." 
9  (129) 


130  THE   SHEPHERD  OF  ISEAEL. 

Beneath  tins  slab  sleeps  the  dust  of  a  bright 
little  stranger,  whose  visit  to  this  pilgrim  land 
was  very  short,  and  who,  as  soon  as  he  had 
learned  to  Hsp  the  names  of  father  and  mother, 
and  the  sweet  name  of  Jesus,  was  taken  home  to 
sing  the  new  song.  He  had  learned  to  join  in 
singing  the  psalm  at  our  family  worship,  and 
each  night  ere  he  closed  his  eyes  he  had  learned 
to  pray  : 

"In  tlie  kingdom  of  thy  grace 
Grant  a  little  child  a  place." 

He  had  been  once  in  church,  and  on  the 
morning  of  his  last  Sabbath  on  earth,  the  20th 
of  March,  1859,  when  a  snow-storm  kept  him  at 
home,  he  said,  as  we  were  leaving  for  the  sanc- 
tuary, "  Johnnie  will  pray  to  God  to  help  papa 
to  preach."  The  two  texts  graven  on  the  slab 
were  the  two  last  texts  he  repeated.  His  Httle 
speeches  had  such  a  fascinating  interest  to 
our  ears  that  we  felt  his  presence  as  a  blessed 
sunbeam  in  the  house.  And  it  was  hard,  after 
his  stay  of  only  two  years  and  four  months, 
suddenly  to  part  with  him,  and  to  see  his  fine 
manly  face   and  silken  hair  laid  in  darkness 


THE  STEANGEK  IN  THE  EAKTH.  131 

amicl  tlie  clods  of  tlie  churcliyarcl.  It  made  the 
earth  loneHer  to  us.  But  it  made  the  grave 
lightsomer. 

He  being  dead  yet  speaketh.  The  parting 
with  so  bright  a  visitant  helped  to  hum  into  the 
writer's  spirit  the  words,  "  I  am  a  stranger  in  the 
earth."     It  has  led  to  the  writing  of  this  chapter. 

Your  home  has  been  visited  by  death.  Some 
of  your  dearest  treasures  have  been  taken  from 
you.  We  shaU  not  speak  of  death  now.  We 
shall  rather  speak  of  present  duties  and  future 
hopes.  A  glimpse  of  the  Deathless  Land  takes 
the  sting  of  death  away.  A  believing  view  of 
the  happy  meetings  on  the  resurrection  morning 
heals  our  sorrow  for  the  bitter  partings  of  Earth  ! 

The  lesson  we  wish  to  open  up  is,  that  the 
Saint  is  a  Stranger  in  the  Earth.  "  I  am  a  stran- 
ger in  the  earth."     We  shall — 

I.   Give  a  short  exposition  of  this  lesson, 
II.  3Iahe  a  short  application  of  it. 

I.   THE   SHORT  EXPOSITION. 

"I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth,"  means — 1. 
That  the  Saint  is  not  horn  of  the  earth.     A  man  is 


132  THE   SHEPHEKD   OF  ISRAEL. 

a  stranger  when  lie  lives  far  from  where  he  was 
born.  The  saint  is  born  from  heaven.  His 
name  is  in  the  family  register  of  heaven.  The 
new  birth  makes  a  world-wide  difference  between 
God's  children  and  the  world,  although  it  may 
not  be  very  apparent  now.  One  born  on  the 
other  side  of  the  globe  is  a  stranger  here.  He 
is  not  like  us  in  complexion,  in  feature,  in  dress, 
in  speech,  in  manner.  The  negro's  dark  skin 
and  woolly  head,  the  turban  and  loose  robe  of 
the  Asiatic,  the  broad  fair  features  and  deep 
guttural  speech  of  the  German,  the  dark  eyes 
and  Roman  contour  of  the  Italian  face,  the 
Frenchman's  polite  and  lively  ways,  mark  them 
out  as  strangers  in  our  streets.  But  if  one  born 
a  thousand  miles  away  is  a  stranger  here,  how 
much  more  is  one  born  from  heaven!  He 
bears  the  image  of  the  heavenly — the  heavenly 
family  Hkeness.  Though  in  the  world,  he  is 
not  of  the  world.  He  is  of  another  race  and 
another  kingdom.  Jesus  was  a  stranger  in 
the  earth.  "Ye  are  from  beneath,"  said  he 
to  the  Jews ;  "  I  am  from  above :  ye  are  of 
this  world;   I  am  not  of  this  world."      So  is 


THE  STKANGER  IN  THE  EARTH.      133 

it  with  tlie  saint.  "As  He  is,  so  are  we  in 
tliis  world." 

2.   The  saint  is  not  hioivn  on  the  earth. 

A  stranger  is  one  wliom  we  don't  know.  A 
stranger  in  the  earth  is  one  whom  the  world 
does  not  know.  The  world  did  not  know  Jesus. 
It  denied  his  person  and  mission,  his  character 
and  work.  He  was  despised  and  rejected  of 
men.  And  so  "  the  world  knoweth  us  not,  be- 
cause it  knew  him  not."  The  world  knew  David 
in  a  sense,  and  yet  it  did  not  know  him.  It 
knew  him  as  the  man  who  slew  GoUath  and 
achieved  a  world-wide  fame ;  as  a  man  whose 
name  was  a  tower  of  strength,  and  whom  it  was 
a  formidable  thing  to  meet  in  the  battle-day ;  as 
the  sweet  psalmist  of  Israel;  as  the  king  who 
reigned  in  Jerusalem.  And  yet  it  did  not  know 
him.  "  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth."  There 
was  that  in  and  about  him  which  made  the 
earth  strange  to  him,  and  which  made  him 
strange  in  the  eai'th.  So  it  is  to-day.  The 
world  knows  the  saint  in  a  sense,  and  yet  it  does 
not  know  him.  The  world  knows  his  gentleness, 
his  integrity,  his    unwearied    beneficence,  his 


134  THE  SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

patience,  his  love,  Ms  truth.  But  it  does  not 
know  himself.  The  world  knows  systematic 
theology,  it  knows  exegesis,  it  knows  consistent 
profession,  it  knows  Broad  Churchism,  it  knows 
exact  payments  and  liberal  housekeeping  and 
exemplary  conduct.  But  it  does  not  know  the 
inner  life  of  a  saint — that  secret  life  which  is  hid 
with  Christ  in  God ;  that  spark  divine  kindled 
in  the  soul  in  the  day  of  regeneration  which  all 
the  floods  of  corruption  and  temptation  cannot 
quench,  and  which  will  shine  like  the  sun  in  the 
[Father's  kingdom.  "Your  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God."  The  author  of  this  inner  hfe, 
the  Holy  Ghost;  its  nature  as  spiritual  and 
Christ-like  and  divine :  its  fruits  appearing  in 
the  graces  of  a  holy  walk  and  conversation,  like 
rii)e  apples  bending  the  branches  to  the  ground  ; 
and  its  glorious  destiny  in  heaven,  are  aU  un- 
known to  the  world.  A  saint,  though  poor  as 
Lazarus,  is  an  angel  in  disguise.  A  dazzling 
crown  of  glory  hangs  over  his  head.  Angehc 
squadrons  keep  guard  around  him.  The  voice, 
"Come  up  hither,"  will  soon  sound  in  his  ears 
from  an  open  heaven.     And  this  inner    life  of 


THE   STEANGEE   IN   THE   EAETH.  135 

the  saint  introduces  liim  into  a  new  relation  to 
God  as  his  Father,  to  Jesus  as  his  elder 
Brother,  to  the  Church  of  the  first-bom  as  his 
brethren,  and  to  heaven  as  his  home,  which  is 
all  a  lajstery  to  the  world.  The  joys  and  sor- 
rows of  this  inner  life,  its  hopes  and  fears,  its 
stmggles  and  victories,  its  priyileges  and  pros- 
pects, are  all  unknown  to  the  world.  How  "  a 
stranger  in  the  earth  "  is  effectually  called,  and 
adopted  into  the  family  of  God,  and  justified, 
and  sanctified — how  the  King's  daughter  is  all 
glorious  within,  although  her  outward  condition 
is  so  mean  and  despised — the  world  cannot  un- 
derstand. "  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth." 
"  The  world  knoweth  us  not." 

3.   The  sainf  s  portion  is  not  ii^oon  the  earth. 

A  stranger  generally  has  no  house  nor  home, 
no  friends  nor  proj)erty,  in  the  place  where  he  is 
a  stranger.  His  home  and  heart  are  away.  So 
is  it  with  him  who  is  a  stranger  in  the  earth. 
His  portion  is  not  here.  His  home  and  treas- 
ure and  heart  are  above.  He  desires  a  better 
country,  that  is,  an  heavenly. 

I  have   heard   of  the   owner   of  a  princely 


136  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

mansion  and  vast  estates  who  was  a  dis- 
tinguished Christian.  He  had  his  stud  and  his 
park — his  gilded  carriages  and  his  servants  in 
rich  hveries.  But — rare  miracle  of  divine  grace 
— he  was  more  remarkable  for  his  meek  and 
humble  piety  than  for  his  wealth.  One  day  a 
Christian  brother,  in  humble  life,  called  at  the 
great  house  to  see  him.  The  poor  man  felt  ill 
at  ease  amid  such  •  grandeur,  and  looking  round 
on  the  splendid  scene  before  him,  exclaimed, 
"  This  is  a  very  fine  place,  sir."  "  Yes,"  said  the 
owner,  meeldy,  "  but  it's  yours  as  well  as  mine !" 
Ah !  he  had  a  better  portion  above — he  had  a 
more  splendid  property  in  the  bright  plains  of 
heaven — 

"  On  tlie  otlier  side  of  Jordan, 
In  tlie  sweet  fields  of  Eden, 
Where  the  tree  of  life  is  blooming." 

So  it  was  with  David.  He  had  a  kingdom 
and  a  palace-royal  on  earth ;  but  these  were 
not  his  portion.  He  was  entirely  weaned  from 
them.  "  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth."  "  Thou 
art  my  portion,  O  Lord.  The  Lord  is  the 
portion   of  mine   inheritance   and  of   my   cup. 


THE  STEANGEE  IN  THE  EAETH.      137 

Whom  have  I  in  lieaven  but  thee,  and  there 
is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides 
thee." 

And  so  is  it  with  every  child  of  God.  His 
inheritance  is  above.  He  is  born  heir  to  it, 
and  has  a  title  to  it.  The  Bible  is  the  charter  ; 
it  contains  the  title-deeds  of  his  inheritance. 
For  every  heir  to  an  estate  must  show  papers, 
documents,  title-deeds — perhaps  he  can  show  a 
royal  charter  as  old  as  Alfred,  or  Kobert  Bruce. 
And  as  the  heir  feels  a  pleasure  in  examining 
the  charter  which  secures  him  his  estate,  so  the 
saint  loves  his  Bible.  If  the  Bible  gives  you 
a  title  to  property  in  the  heavenly  C  anaan,  God 
will  not  dispute  that  title ;  if  the  Bible  gives 
you  no  title,  God  will  give  you  none.  And 
the  heir  of  heaven  receives  the  earnest  of  his 
inheritance,  as  the  heir  to  a  great  estate 
has  his  maintenance  off  the  estate  during  his 
minority.  And  he  is  daily  being  quahfied  for  it. 
"  Our  conversation  is  in  heaven,"  said  Paul. 
Our  Father,  our  elder  Brother,  our  brethren 
and  sisters,  our  home,  our  eternal  portion,  our 
hearts  are  in  heaven  ! 


138  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

*'  I'm  but  a  stranger  here, 

Heaven  is  my  home  ; 

Earth,  is  a  desert  drear, 

Heaven  is  my  home. 

Danger  and  sorrow  stand 

Eonnd  me  on  every  hand, 

Heaven  is  my  fatherland. 

Heaven  is  my  home." 

"We  read  of  some  "  who  have  their  portion  in 
this  hfe,"  and  none  beyond.  "  They  send  forth 
their  little  ones  like  a  flock,  and  their  children 
dance.  They  take  the  timbrel  and  harp,  and 
rejoice  at  the  sound  of  the  organ.  They  spend 
their  days  in  wealth,  and  in  a  moment  go  down 
to  the  grave."  How  awful  to  have  one's  home 
and  heart  on  earth,  and  at  death  to  be  driven 
away  into  the  dreadful  dark  of  eternity,  without 
a  friend,  without  a  home. 

4.  The  saint  is  compassed  idtli  sorroivs  and 
trials  upon  eartli. 

It  is  a  weary  thing  to  be  far  from  home, 
where  you  can  never  see  the  light  of  a  father's 
smile,  nor  hear  the  dear  mother-tongue — to 
sojourn  among  strangers  who  look  coldly  at  you, 
or  among  enemies  who  annoy  you.  Strange 
faces,    a    strange    language,    strange    houses, 


THE   STEANGER  IN   THE   EARTH.  139 

strange  manners,  strange  scenes,  make  tlie 
heart  long  for  home.  And  yonr  money  is  apt  to 
run  short.  So  this  wilderness  is  a  weary  scene 
to  the  stranger  in  the  earth.  "  In  the  world  ye 
shall  have  tribulation.  Marvel  not  if  the  world 
hate  you."  The  world  that  crucified  Jesus  will 
crucify  his  disciples  too.  Like  Abraham 
among  the  Canaanites — like  Lot  in  Sodom — like 
the  Israehtes  in  Egypt — like  Christian  and 
Faithful  at  Vanity  Fair,  where  they  were 
treated  as  the  filth  of  the  earth,  and  the  off- 
scouring  of  all  things — so  is  the  heavenward- 
bound  sti'anger  in  the  midst  of  a  hating,  per- 
secuting world.  Ask  the  heir  of  glory,  and 
he  will  say,  "  I  am  not  at  home — I  am  not 
at  rest  here — I  am  hke  a  ship  afar  at  sea 
lashed  by  the  tempest — like  a  soldier  in  the 
grim  strife  of  the  battle-field — I  cannot  for  a 
moment  lay  the  pilgrim  staff  aside  :  Oh,  to 
be  home  !" 


•  Had  I  tlie  wings  of  a  dove,  I  would  fly 
Far,  far  away  ;  far,  far  away  : 

Wliere  not  a  cloud  ever  darkens  tlie  sky 
Far,  far  away  ;  far,  far  away. 


140  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISKAEL. 

Fadeless  the  flowers  in  yon  Eden  that  blow, 
Green,  green  the  bowers  where  the  still  waters  flow, 
Hearts,  like  their  garments,  are  pure  as  the  snow, 
Far,  far  away  ;  far,  far  away." 

Sometimes,  it  is  true,  you  come  to  a  sweet 
spot  in  the  wilderness,  like  Elim  with  its  foun- 
tains and  refreshing  shade.  Sometimes  Jesus 
sends  you  clusters  of  Eshcol  grapes — fortastes  of 
glory.  He  makes  a  day  in  his  courts  better  than 
a  thousand.  And  sometimes  you  meet  a  fellow- 
traveller  bound  for  Canaan  Uke  yourself,  and 
your  heart  is  glad.  But  still  the  stranger  longs 
for  home.  He  longs  for  his  Father's  house. 
He  longs  to  see  the  King  in  his  beauty,  and  the 
land  that  is  very  far  off.  He  is  home-sick. 
Blessed  are  the  home-sick,  for  they  shall  reach 
home. 

6.  The  saint  is  soon  to  have  the  earth. 

"  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth."  "  I  am  a 
poor  dying  sinner.  My  days  are  short  here." 
A  stranger  never  stays  long  in  a  place — a  day  or 
two — he  hurries  from  scene  to  scene — ^he  inspects 
everything  with  deep  interest.  You  see  him 
busy  consulting  maps  and  guide-books  —  busy 
inquiring  about  roads  and  guides  and  means  of 


THE  STKANGEE  IN  THE  EAETH.      141 

travel,  and  the  quickest  route  home — ^busy  ex- 
amining the  progress  he  has  already  made — 
busy  settling  accounts  and  preparing  for  his 
departure :  and  early  next  morning  he  is  away. 
Look  at  him.  His  great  aim  is  to  press  for- 
ward on  his  journey.  He  admires  the  scenes 
through  which  he  passes,  but  he  would  not  Hve 
among  these  scenes  :  his  heart  is  at  home.  His 
friends  expect  him  at  home.  A  happy  welcome 
awaits  him  at  home.  He  sees  lovely  landscapes 
— he  sees  the  sweep  of  mighty  forests,  and 
roaring  water-falls — he  sees  magnificent  amphi- 
theatres of  hills,  with  peaks  of  everlasting 
snow — he  sees  spots  hallowed  and  immortalized 
by  genius.  Like  the  Avon  or  Abbotsford — he 
sees  grand  reaches  of  the  ocean — he  sees 
proud  or  classic  cities  with  their  domes  and 
towers,  and  pinnacles  and  spires;  he  admires 
it  all,  and  passes  on.  Ask  him  whether  he 
admires  aU  this.  He  says,  Yes.  Ask  him 
whether  he  would  not  live  here  and  put  off 
his  journey.  He  says,  No,  because  his  heart 
and  thoughts  are  at  home. 

Thus  the  saint  looks  with   a   traveller's  eye 


142  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISEAEL. 

upon  the  world.  "I  am  soon  to  leave  this 
beautiful  world,"  said  the  venerable  Dr.  Duncan 
lately  to  a  friend,  "  and  I  am  anxious  to  carry 
as  perfect  a  calotype  of  it  as  I  can  along  with 
me ;  and  therefore  I  gaze  with  unwearied 
delight  upon  the  trees  and  flowers,  and  the 
blue  sky  and  the  faces  of  men." 

II.   THE   SHORT  APPLICATION. 

*'  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth."  1.  DonH  he 
like  the  ivorld.  "  Be  not  conformed  to  this 
world."  Don't  be  like  the  children  of  the  world 
in  dress.  "  The  pilgrims  were  clothed,"  says 
Bunyan,  "  with  such  kind  of  raiment  as  was 
diverse  from  the  raiment  of  any  that  traded  in 
Yanity  Fair."  Be  clothed  with  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ. 

"  Jesus,  thy  robe  of  righteousness 
My  beauty  is,  my  glorious  dress  ; 
No  age  can  change  its  lovely  hue, 
Its  glory  is  forever  new." 

"  Let  thy  garments  be  always  white,  and  let  thy 
head  lack  no  ointment."  Don't  be  like  the 
world  in  speech.  Speak  the  language  of  Canaan. 
Let   thy  speech  "bewray  thee."     Confess   that 


THE   STRANGER  IN  THE  EARTH.  143 

you  are  a  stranger  and  a  pilgrim  in  the  earth. 
Make  no  secret  of  it.  Declare  plainly  that  you 
seek  a  country.  "He  that  is  of  the  earth  is 
earthly,  and  speaketh  of  the  earth. 

2.  Be  prepared  to  be  a  sufferer  in  the  earth. 
The  only  crown  that  the  world  had  for  your 
Master  was  a  crown  of  thorns.  If  you  are  a 
stranger  in  the  earth,  you  will  be  a  sufferer  in 
the  earth.  Think  it  not  strange  concerning  the 
fiery  trial  which  is  to  try  you.  They  who  are 
now  clothed  in  white  robes  with  palms  in  their 
hands,  came  out  of  great  tribulation.  "If  ye 
were  of  the  world,  the  world  would  love  his 
own  :  but  because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I 
have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the 
world  hateth  you."  And  Satan  walketh  about 
like  a  roaring  lion.  You  cannot  expect  home 
comforts  in  the  wilderness.  Inns  are  useful — 
but  not  for  permanent  abode.  They  are  only 
intended  to  fit  the  stranger  for  pursuing  his 
homeward  journey  the  faster.  You  may  get 
foretastes  now — glimpses  through  the  lattice — 
but  not  the  full  enjoyment.  Don't  be  hke  the 
cross  infant  that  frets  and  bawls  except  when 


144  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

it's  being  nursed.  How  lightly  Paul  took  his 
trials !  "  Our  light  affliction  is  but  for  a  mo- 
ment." 

**  What  though  the  tempest  rage, 

Heaven  is  my  home  : 
Short  is  my  pilgrimage, 

Heaven  is  my  home  ; 
And  Time's  wild  wintry  blast 
Soon  will  be  overpast, 
I  shall  reach  home  at  last, 

Heaven  is  my  home." 

3.  Sit  loose  to  the  world. 

A  stranger  does  not  mix  himseK  up  with 
affaks  in  the  place  where  he  is  a  stranger. 
Shake  yourseK  free  of  the  world's  entangle- 
ments and  cares,  its  companies  and  pleasures. 
"  How  long  have  I  to  live  ?"  said  the  good  old 
Barzillai;  "better  for  me  to  prepare  for  my 
grave."  Hear  M'Cheyne's  solemn  words,  "  A 
behever  stands  on  a  watch-tower — things  pre- 
sent are  below  his  feet — things  eternal  are 
before  his  eyes.  .  .  .  Time  is  short.  The  dis- 
ease is  now  in  the  body  of  many  of  you  that  is 
to  lay  you  in  the  dust ;  and  your  grave  is  already 
marked  out.  In  a  little  while  you  will  be  lying 
quietly  there.  ...  Be  ready  to  leave  your  loom 


THE   STEANGEK  IN  THE  EAETH.  145 

for  tlie  golden  harp :  be  ready  to  leave  your 
desk  for  the  throne  of  Jesus  ;  your  pen  for  the 
palm  of  victory :  be  ready  to  leave  the  market 
below  for  the  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 
where  the  redeemed  shall  walk.  If  you  were  in 
a  sinking  ship,  you  would  not  cling  hard  to 
bags  of  money — ^you  would  sit  loose  to  all,  and 
be  ready  to  swim.  This  world  is  hke  a  sinking- 
ship,  and  those  who  grasp  at  its  possessions 
will  sink  along  with  it."  Again  we  say.  Sit  loose 
to  the  ivorld.     Don't  mingle  freely  with  it. 

One  of  the  gTand  sights  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Geneva  is  the  junction  of  the  Rhone  and  the 
Arve.  The  Ehone  is  blue  and  pure  as  the 
heavens — the  Arve  is  foul  and  muddy  as  the 
clay.  They  fall  into  the  same  channel — they 
meet — without  comminghng.  The  Ehone  is  the 
type  of  heaven's  blue  puiity  in  a  regenerate 
soul ;  the  Arve  is  the  type  of  the  world's  earth- 
liness.  The  Rhone  runs  along  the  north  bank, 
and  the  Arve  along  the  south.  The  line  be- 
tween the  pure  waters  and  the  foul  is  as  straight 
as  an  arrow.  The  pure  seems  to  say  to  the  foul, 
"Don't  come  near  me."  The  separation  is 
10 


146  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

complete  tlioiigli  tliey  flow  in  the  same  channel. 
The  separation  is  complete  as  long  as  the  cur- 
rent of  the  Klione  is  swift.  By  and  by  the 
current  of  the  Rhone  becomes  sluggish,  and  the 
two  commingle — and  the  Ehone's  waters  are 
now  as  foul  and  clayey  as  those  of  the  Arve. 

For  a  time  after  ^^ou  have  been  washed  in  the 
Bath  of  regeneration,  you  run  fast.  You  look 
for  and  haste  unto  the  coming  of  the  day  of 
God.  You  say,  "  Why  is  his  chariot  so  long  a 
coming  ?  why  tarry  the  wheels  of  his  chariots  ?" 
And  though  surrounded  by  the  clayey  waters 
of  the  world's  companionship,  you  remain  sepa- 
rate, and  you  preserve  the  blue  purity — the 
whiteness  of  your  soul : — you  speed  swiftly 
homewards.  But  if  you  relax  your  efforts  and 
become  sluggish,  you  will  soon  become  foul  and 
clayey  like  the  world. 

4.   Correspond  loitli  home. 

It  is  a  reUef  to  a  stranger  to  write  home — 
and  oh,  a  letter  from  home  in  a  strange  land  is 
sweet.  One  mark  of  a  dutiful  son  in  a  strange 
land  is,  that  he  often  writes  home.  Wliat 
would   you    think  of     the    boy    away   among 


THE  STKANGER  IN  THE  EARTH.      147 

strangers  who  never  ^Tote  to  liis  father  or 
mother  ?  Stranger  in  the  earth  !  prayer  is  your 
means  of  correspondence  with  home.  The 
throne  of  grace  is  the  spiritual  post-office. 
The  stranger  in  the  earth  cannot  write  home 
aright  himself.  A  proof  surely  how  weak  and 
helpless  he  is — for  how  poor  the  creature  who 
cannot  even  write  a  letter !  But  the  Holy 
Spirit  helps  him  to  write.  (Eom.  viii.  26.)  And 
he  directs  his  letters  to  his  Father  under  the 
care  of  his  Elder  Brother.  He  expects  an  an- 
swer where  he  posted  his  letter — at  the  footstool 
of  Divine  grace.  The  answer  arrives  in  due 
time :  and  often  a  remittance — a  fresh  supply 
of  grace — arrives  to  help  the  stranger  in  his 
distress.  Men  talk  of  telegraphs.  Prayer  is 
the  quickest  of  all  telegraphs.  Gabriel  is  made 
to  fly  swiftly  to  touch  and  talk  with  the  lone 
stranger  in  the  earth.  Oh,  then,  correspond 
with  Jiome.     Pray  without  ceasing. 

5.  Cherish  brotherly  love  for  your  feUotv-stran- 
gers  in  the  earth. 

They  tell  us  that  no  love  is  so  tender  as  that 
wliich  knits  fellow-countrymen  who  meet  in  a 


148  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

foreign  land.  Far  from  tlieir  common  home, 
tliey  are  thrown  more  closely  together.  They 
are  exposed  to  the  same  difficulties  and  dangers. 
They  have  many  interests  in  common.  They 
have  many  touching  associations — many  sor- 
rows and  hopes — in  common  :  and  all  this  knits 
their  hearts  with  a  tie  of  no  ordinary  tender- 
ness. 

Some  years  ago,  early  on  a  summer  morn- 
ing, the  writer  was  wandering  alone  through  the 
streets  of  Geneva.  Feeling  lonely,  he  was 
thinking  of  home.  Turning  the  corner  of  a 
street,  he  saw  a  fellow-townsman  coming  up  to 
meet  him.  The  face  was  familiar,  but  the  two 
had  never  exchanged  a  word.  They  had  passed 
each  other  innumerable  times  on  the  street  at 
home.  But  meeting  abroad,  a  common  feeling 
of  being  in  a  strange  land — a  common  love  for 
the  dear  mother  tongue — a  common  longing  for 
home,  knit  them  almost  inseparably  together. 
They  felt  like  brothers.  Oh  !  surely  those  who 
are  washed  in  the  same  blood — who  are  sancti- 
fied  by  the  same  Spirit — who  are  fed  by  the 
same  Manna — who   are  refreshed  with  water 


THE   STEANGER  IN   THE  EARTH.  149 

from  the  same  Living  Kock — who  are  giiicled  by 
the  same  Cloudy  Pillar — who  are  bound  for  the 
same  glorious  C  anaan — should  love  each  other 
very  tenderly  -when  they  are  strangers  in  the 
earth.  "Love  the  brotherhood."  Help  your 
fellow-pilgrims.  How  lovingly  Christian  and 
Hopeful  helped  each  other  when  walking  across 
the  Enchanted  Ground ! 

6.  Hasten  Home.  Dispatch  your  work  here. 
Desire  the  better  country,  that  is,  the  heavenly. 
Set  your  affections  upon  it.  Have  your  conver- 
sation in  it.  Be  conformed  to  it.  Look  for- 
ward to  your  removal  to  it.  Like  Moses  from 
the  top  of  Pisgah,  view  "  the  good  land  that 
is  beyond  Jordan,  that  goodly  mountain  and 
Lebanon."  Like  the  pilgrims  from  the  Delect- 
able Mountains,  look  "  through  the  perspective 
glass  of  faith  towards  the  gates  of  the  celestial 
city."  Come  up  from  the  wilderness  daily  lean- 
ing on  your  Beloved.  Like  Samuel  Eutherford, 
"speak  much  of  the  white  stone  and  the  new 
name."  Prepare  for  going  home.  Let  your 
loins  be  girt  and  your  lamp  burning.  When 
you  reach   home   you   will   not  be   a  stranger 


150  THE   SHEPHEKD   OF  ISEAEL. 

there.  You  will  be  made  a  pillar  in  the  temple 
of  God,  and  go  no  more  out.  Heaven  is  in  full 
bloom.  The  many  mansions  are  all  ready.  The 
fl  crowns  of  glory,  the  dazzling  robes,  the  eternal 
palms,  the  well-tuned  harps  are  ready.  Heav- 
en's crystal  doors  are  open  to  admit  the  weaiy 
stranger.  Angels  are  waiting  to  receive  the 
commission  to  bear  you  home.  And  your 
Father  and  your  Elder  Brother  are  waiting. 

"Beautiful  heaven,  where  all  is  light ; 
Beautiful  angels,  clothed  in  white  ; 
Beautiful  harps  through  all  the  choir  ; 
Beautiful  strains  that  never  tire  ; — 
There  shall  I  join  the  chorus  sweet. 
Worshipping  at  the  Saviour's  feet !" 

7.  Dear  strangers  in  the  earth !  j^res.s  others  to 
come  loitli  you.  Emigrants  are  loud  in  praising 
their  adopted  country.  They  press  others  to 
come  with  them.  Go  and  do  hkewise.  Espe- 
cially now  that  you  have  been  under  the  chas- 
tening rod,  say  to  them,  "  Come  with  us,  and 
we  will  do  you  good."  On  every  hand  you  see 
children  and  young  men  and  maidens  going 
doiun  to  the  wilderness  to  wander  through  its 
dry  places  in  search  of  pleasure,  and  to  die. 


THE   STIIANGEE  IN  THE  EAETH.  151 

Their  steps  are  light,  and  their  hearts  are 
merry.  This  deceitful  world  seems  a  smiling 
paradise — a  perfect  Eldorado — in  their  eyes. 
They  don't  see  the  serpent's  fang.  They  don't 
fear  the  lost  eternity.  Oh !  say  to  them,  with  a 
true  missionary's  love,  "  Arise  and  depart,  for 
this  is  not  your  rest :  because  it  is  polluted."  "  I 
know  that  my  Kedeemer  liveth."  "  Our  light 
affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh 
for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory."  "Then  shall  the  righteous  shine 
forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father." 

"There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight, 
Where  saints  immortal  reign  ; 
Infinite  day  excludes  the  night, 
And  pleasures  banish  pain. 

"There  everlasting  spring  abides, 
And  never-with'ring  flowers  : 
Death,  like  a  narrow  stream,  divides 
That  happy  land  from  ours. 

"Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood 
Stand  dressed  in  living  green. 
So  to  the  Jews  old  Canaan  stood, 
While  Jordan  rolled  between. 

"  Could  we  but  climb  where  Moses  stood. 
And  view  the  landscape  o'er. 
Not  Jordan's  streams,  nor  death's  cold  flood, 
Should  fright  us  from  the  shore." 


VII. 

THE    FEIENDSHIP    OF    THE    SAVIOUR 
AND    THE    SAVED. 

John  xv.  15. 
♦'Henceforth  I  call  you  not  servants;   for  the  servant 
knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth  :   but  I  have  called  you 
friends  ;   for  all  things  that  I  have  heard  of  my  Father 
I  have  made  known  unto  you." 


•  INGE  the  day  when  the  soul  of  Jonathan 
was  knit  with  the  soul  of  David,  so  that 
they  loved  each  other  as  their  own 
^  souls,  friend  has  been  a  sacred  name. 
One  of  loving  heart,  loving  thoughts,  loving 
words,  loving  deeds.  In  this  vale  of  tears  a 
true  friend  is  a  blessed  solace.  Poets  have  sung 
the  praises  of  friendship,  and  named  it  "  the 
cement  of  the  soul,  the  sweetener  of  life,  and 
solder  of  society."     Philosophers  have  sounded 

(152) 


FEIENDSHIP  OP  THE  SA\^OUE  AND  SAVED.      153 

its  praises.  The  great  Lord  Bacon  has  said 
that  it  redoubles  our  joys  and  cuts  our  griefs  in 
half.  When  all  is  well  with  us,  a  fi'iend  is  a 
mighty  help  ;  when  all  is  dark,  he  is  a  blessed 
beam  of  light.  There  is  hardly  a  subject  to 
which  such  continual  reference  is  made  in  the 
literature  of  every  land,  on  which  so  many  books 
have  been  written,  so  many  eulogiums  pro- 
nounced in  prose  and  verse.  It  touches  every 
heart.  The  dullest  can  understand  that  Hfe  is 
a  dismal  solitude  without  a  friend. 

The  text  reveals  Jesus  in  the  character  of 
a  friend.  He  has  been  exhorting  his  disciples 
to  love  one  another,  and  he  adds  this  considera- 
tion to  give  weight  to  the  exhortation.  (Yers.  12- 
15.)  I  have  called  jou  friends.  We  are  knit  to- 
gether ill  the  bonds  of  a  very  close  relationship. 
You  are  friends  ;  I  am  your  friend.  I  have  ad- 
mitted you  to  free  and  unrestrained  fellowship. 
I  have  unbosomed  myself  to  you.  I  am  going 
to  give  you  the  most  amazing  of  all  proofs  of 
my  friendship — to  lay  down  my  hfe  for  you. 
Be  this  your  great  example.  Love  one  another 
as  I  have  loved  you. 


154  THE   SHEPHEED   OF   ISRAEL. 

Some  liave  understood  the  word  "  Henceforth  " 
as  indicating  different  stages  in  the  teaching  of 
Jesus,  as  if  at  one  stage  he  had  called  them 
servants  and  at  another  friends.  It  rather 
distinguishes  between  the  disciples'  place  under 
his  personal  teaching,  and  their  place  under  the 
teaching  of  the  Spirit  after  his  ascension,  when 
the  whole  scheme  of  truth  was  unveiled.  The 
word  servant  is  used  in  two  senses,  a  lower  and 
a  higher.  In  its  higher  sense  the  relation  of 
servant  and  that  of  fiiend  were  to  subsist  to- 
gether. (Ver.  20.)  The  servant  relation  was 
not  to  be  abolished  but  glorified  :  and  there  is 
no  name  by  wliich  the  disciple  better  loves  to 
call  Jesus  than  "  My  i\[-ister." 

"How  sweetly  doth  my  Master  sound  !  my  Master! 
As  ambergris  leaves  a  rich  scent  unto  the  taster, 
So  do  these  words  a  sweet  content, 
An  oriental  fragrancy,  my  Master." — Heebekt,  223. 

But  now,  under  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit, 
the  special  name  he  gives  his  disciples  is  friends. 
"  I  have  called  you  friends."  The  saint  is  never 
without  a  friend.  He  may  have  but  a  humble 
dwelling — he   may   be   poor,   despised,  compa- 


FRIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAVIOUE  AND  SAVED.      155 

nionless :  but  you  cannot  pass  by  his  door  and 
say,  "  There  lives  a  friendless  man."  No !  he 
has  a  Friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother, 
— a  Friend  more  reliable  and  helpful  than  all 
earthly  friends, — a  Friend  who  can  show  him- 
self friendly  when  human  help  and  sympathy 
are  of  no  avail. 

The  elements  of  true  friendship  are  love,  con- 
fidence, symjpathy,  and  liel]) :  and  as  friendship 
has  two  sides,  our  subject  branches  into  two 
divisions. 

I.   CHRIST'S   SIDE   OF  THE   FRIENDSHIP. 

This  includes — 1.  Christ's  love  to  us.  Love 
is  the  soul  of  friendship.  The  outward  mani- 
festations of  friendship — the  kind  words  and 
looks — the  letters  expressing  the  inmost  feelings 
of  the  heart — the  gifts — all  derive  their  value 
from  the  lave  which  is  its  soul.  Think  of  that 
love  which  is  the  soul  of  Christ's  fiiendship. 
He  puts  forward  only  one  side  of  it  in  the  con- 
text— that  it  made  him  lay  down  his  hfe  for  his 
friends.  To  die  for  a  friend  is  the  very  highest 
proof  of  human  love.     The  friendship  of  Damon 


156  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

and  Pythias  in  classic  story  is  immortalized  by 
tlieir  willingness  to  die  for  each  other.  "Wlien 
Damon  was  condemned  to  die,  he  got  leave  from 
the  tyrant  to  go  home  to  settle  has  affairs  on 
condition  that  he  would  return  for  execution. 
Pythias  offered  to  suffer  for  him  if  he  did  not 
return  in  time.  Damon  returned  at  the  hour 
appointed,  and  the  tyrant  was  so  amazed  at 
their  mutual  self-sacrifice  that  he  liberated  both. 
But  the  love  of  Christ  surpassed  this  highest 
manifestation  of  human  love.  He  died  for  his 
enemies,  in  order  to  make  them  friends.  (Rom.  v. 
8.)  His  love  had  no  beginning.  It  glowed  in 
his  heart  before  the  foundation  of  the  world. 
It  cannot  be  measured.  "  It  is  high  as  heaven, 
what  canst  thou  do  ?  deeper  than  hell,  what 
canst  thou  know?  The  measure  thereof  is 
longer  than  the  earth  and  broader  than  the  sea." 
And  when  his  love  had  to  face  the  dreadful  issue 
of  saving  his  people  by  laying  down  his  life,  or 
saving  his  life  by  leaving  them  to  perish,  it  made 
him  set  his  face  like  a  flint :  it  carried  him 
through  the  Agon}^ — the  trial  in  the  judgment- 
hall — the  via  dolorosa — the  six  hours'  darkness 


FEIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAVIOUR  AND  SAVED.      157 

on  the  cross.  "  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized 
with,  and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accom- 
plished." "  The  cup  that  my  Father  hath  given 
me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?  "  (Luke  xii.  50 ;  John 
xviii.  11.) 

2.  Christ's  confidence.  A  servant  knows 
nothing  of  his  master's  plans  and  reasons. 
He  is  not  admitted  into  confidence.  He  is 
kept  at  a  distance.  He  occupies  a  humbler 
place :  he  sits  at  a  humbler  table.  He  is 
simply  told  to  do  his  work.  He  receives  and 
executes  his  master's  orders,  and  he  receives  his 
wages.  But  a  friend  is  very  differently  treated. 
You  tell  him  your  secret  thoughts  and  feehngs, 
whatever  lies  nearest  your  heart.  You  give  him 
your  full,  unreserved  confidence.  He  is  always 
w^elcome. 

So  does  Jesus  deal  with  his  friends.  He  gives 
them  special  marks  of  his  regard.  He  brings 
them  very  nigh  —  even  unto  his  seat — his 
presence-chamber.  He  walked  with  Enoch. 
He  talked  with  Moses  face  to  face,  as  a  man 
talks  with  his  friend.  He  took  him  up  to  the 
mount,  and  revealed  to  him  his  secret  counsels, 


158  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

until  Lis  face  shone  witli  the  light  of  heaven. 
At  the  courts  both  of  David  and  Solomon,  there 
was  one  great  minister,  called  by  way  of  emi- 
nence "  Tlie  King's  Friend,"  who  was  cognizant 
of  all  the  secrets  of  the  state.  (2  Sam.  xv.  37 ;  1 
Kings  iv.  5.)  The  King  of  kings  admits  every 
disciple  into  this  relation.  He  is  very  free  Avith 
them — he  keeps  back  nothing.  Abraham  was 
called  the  friend  of  God.  (2  Chron.  xx.  7 ; 
James  ii.  23.)  How  did  God  show  his  friend- 
ship towards  him?  By  revealing  his  secret  to 
him.  "Wlien  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  to  be 
destroyed,  God  said,  "  Shall  I  hide  from  Abra- 
ham that  thing  which  I  do?"  (Gen.  xviii.  17.) 
He  admitted  him  into  his  famihar  confidence. 

"  This  honor  have  all  his  saints."  "  They  dwell 
in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High,  and  abide 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty."  He  brings 
them  into  his  chambers ;  they  see  the  King's  face. 
John  leaned  upon  his  breast  at  supper.  He 
walked  with  the  two  disci j)les  to  Emmaus,  he 
made  their  hearts  burn  within  them,  and  opened 
their  understandings  that  they  might  under- 
stand the  Scriptures. 


FRIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAYIOUE  AND  SAVED.      159 

It  is  the  same  now.  His  secret  is  witli  tliem 
that  fear  him.  To  those  who  live  near  to  him, 
he  not  only  reveals  his  mind  in  the  Word,  but 
their  interest  in  the  blessed  world  to  come.  He 
tells  them  that  they  are  heirs  of  God,  and 
joint-heirs  with  Christ.  His  Spirit  within  them 
says  in  blessed  whispers,  "  I  am  thine  :  thou  art 
mine."  And  the  more  closely  they  walk  mth 
him,  the  more  does  he  tell  them  of  his  mind, 
the  greater  insight  he  gives  them  into  the  deep 
thii:^s  of  God. 

3.  His  sympatliy.  This  is  one  of  the  natural 
outflowings  of  friendship.  Those  who  are  knit 
together  in  the  bonds  of  friendship  make  the 
sorrows  of  each  other  their  own.  It  is  when 
sorrow  comes  that  I  know  who  are  my  friends. 
If  one  member  suffers,  all  the  members  suffer 
with  it.  Thus  our  Glorious  Head  suffers  in  the 
least  member  of  his  mystical  body.  "  He  was 
made  in  all  things  hke  unto  his  brethren."  He 
has  all  the  feelings  and  affections  of  man. 
Hunger,  thirst,  weariness,  want,  sorrow,  pain — 
he  knew  them  aU.  He  was  in  all  points  tempt- 
ed like  as  we   are,  yet  without  sin.  (Heb.  ii.  18.) 


160  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

We  are  apt  to  overlook  liis  perfect  liumanity. 
We  tliink  of  his  Godliead,  and  we  pray  for 
certain  spiritual  blessings,  sucli  as  pardon  and 
an  abundant  entrance,  but  we  forget  his  tender, 
compassionate,  human  heart,  and  his  readiness 
to  sympathize  with  us  under  the  common  ills  of 
life.  He  is  a  merciful  and  faithful  High  Priest. 
"Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking  child,  that 
she  should  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of 
her  womb  ?  Tea,  they  may  forget,  yet  will  I  not 
forget  thee."  (Isa.  xlix.  15.) 

In  this  sin-smitten  world  no  subject  is  so 
soothing  as  the  sympathy  of  Jesus.  For  "  sor- 
row is  the  very  woof  which  is  woven  into  tlio 
warp  of  life."  Threads  of  sorrow  enter  into  the 
experience  of  every  day.  Sickness,  bereave- 
ment, pain,  reproach,  poverty,  visit  us  by  turns, 
until  almost  every  nerve  has  thrilled  with  pain, 
and  every  affection  has  been  wounded.  Perhaps 
you  have  received  the  heartshock  from  which 
you  will  not  recover  in  this  world ;  and  under  a 
sense  of  the  coldness  of  human  sympathy,  who 
lias  not  said,  "  O  for  a  friend  who  could  perfect- 
ly sympathize  with  me,  heart  to  heart,   and 


FEIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAVIOUR  AND  SAVED.      lol 

piilse  to  pulse,  could  make    my    sorrow    liis 
own!" 

Jesus  is  such  a  friend.  He  can  enter  into  all 
your  feelings.  "  I  know  their  sorrows."  (Exod. 
iii.  7.)  He  had  compassion  on  the  multitude 
because  they  fainted.  He  tenderly  sympathized 
with  the  sorrowing  mother  at  Nain,  and  said, 
"Weep  not."  He  wept  with  the  two  sisters 
over  the  grave  of  Lazarus.  "  Jesus  wept "  is 
the  true  balm  for  the  sorrow-stricken  heart. 
And  even  when  he  went  forth  bearing  his  cross, 
seeing  the  daughters  of  Jerusalem  bewaihng 
and  lamenting  him,  he  forgot  his  own  sorrows 
and  turned  to  comfort  them.  (Luke  xxiii.  28,  29.) 
Who  can  express  the  wonderfulness  of  his 
sympathy  ?  Any  kindness  done  to  his  people 
he  regards  as  done  to  himself  (Matt.  xxv.  40  ) ; 
any  wrong  done  to  them  as  done  to  him — 
"  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?"  (Isa. 
Ixiii.  9 ;  Zech.  ii.  9.)  He  is  beside  you  night  and 
day.  He  counts  your  sighs  and  your  smiles. 
Li  health  he  is  near  to  guide  you  ;  in  sickness, 
to  pillow  your  aching  head.  Those  sublime 
words,  spoken  to  Olivet,  as  the  up-drawing 
11 


162  THE  SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

heavens  opened  to  receive  their  reascending 
Lord,  have  lost  none  of  their  power  after  the 
lapse  of  eighteen  centuries,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world  !" 

4.  His  help.  A  friend  helps  a  friend.  Jesus 
not  only  sustains  by  his  sympathy,  but  by  his 
all-sufficient  help.  His  arm  is  as  strong  to  help 
as  his  heart  is  tender  to  feel.  (Ps.  xlvi.  1.)  You 
are  well  assured  of  the  sympathy  of  him  who 
uttered  this  farewell  discourse :  every  word  is 
brimful  of  love.  You  may  be  equally  assured  of 
his  power  to  help.  "All  power  is  given  unto 
me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  "  Is  there  any- 
thing too  hard  for  the  Lord?"  Hence  we  are 
invited  to  "  come  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  to 
help  in  time  of  need."  (Heb.  iv.  16.)  "  A  friend 
in  need  is  a  friend  indeed."  Yery  significant  is 
the  Greek  word  for  to  help.  It  means,^  A  cry 
— Run — that  is,  to  run  up  at  a  cry — to  "  Haste 
to  the  Bescue  :"  suggesting  that  Jesus,  the  mo- 
ment he  hears  the  cry  of  distress,  hastens  from 
his  high   throne  in   heaven  to   give    effectual 


FRIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAVIOUR  AND  SAVED.      163 

succor.  The  word  "  succor,"  too,  conveys  the 
same  idea — to  run  up  to  ones  side.  (Ps.  1.  15.) 
Tlie  arm  that  guides  the  sun  in  heaven  is 
pledged  to  help  you.  He  will  help  you  against 
your  sim.  (1  John  i.  7.)  He  will  help  you  in  the 
hour  of  temptation.  "  Simon,  Simon,  behold, 
Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you,  tha;t  he  may  sift 
you  as  wheat :  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee,  that 
thy  faith  fail  not."  (Luke  xxii.  31,  32.)  He  will 
help  you  when  you  walk  in  dayJcness  (Mai.  iv. 
2) ;  he  will  help  you  in  sorroio  (John  xvi.  22) ; 
he  will  help  you  in  the  hour  of  death  (Isa.  xliii. 
2);  and  when  he  has  helped  you  over  all  the 
rough  miles  of  the  earthly  pilgrimage,  he  will 
welcome  you  to  the  mansions  on  high.  And  this 
Friend,  so  loving,  so  confiding,  so  sympathizing, 
so  helpful,  is  always  near  you,  always  at  your 
side,  always  within  call,  always  thinking  of  you, 
always  making  everything  work  together  for 
your  good. 

n.   OUR  SIDE   OF  THE  FRIENDSHIP. 

"  I  have  called  you  fiiends."     Our  friendship 
is  mutual.     I  am  your  friend,  you  are  my  friend. 


164  THE  SHEPHEBD  OF  ISRAEL. 

Brethren,  if  we  have  a  friend  in  heaven,  let  us 
show  that  he  has  friends  on  earth.  If  we  have 
a  great  Elder  Brother  on  high,  let  us  show  that 
he  has  younger  brethren  on  earth — weak,  needy, 
helpless,  but  still  children  of  the  same  family. 

1.  Christ's  friends  love  Mm  in  return.  They 
love  him  with  a  bridal  love.  They  give  him  the 
throne  of  their  hearts.  He  is  the  Sun  in  their 
soul's  firmament.  They  love  him  above  the 
dearest  on  earth.  He  is  to  them  the  Hose  of 
Sharon — the  bundle  of  myrrh  in  the  bosom — 
the  cluster  of  camphire  in  the  vineyards  of 
Engedi.  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  25 ;  Song  viii.  6,  7.)  A 
martyr  of  the  early  Church  was  wont  to  say, 
"  My  love  was  crucified." 

This  love  will  manifest  itself  by  loving,  ador- 
ing thoughts  of  him.  You  will  be  always  think- 
ing of  him.  Naturally,  as  the  flame  mounts 
upwards,  where  love  glows  like  an  altar-fire  in 
the  heart,  it  will  ascend  in  sweet  thoughts  to 
where  he  is. 

It  will  manifest  itself  by  keeping  his  com- 
mandments. A  holy  life  is  the  surest  proof  of 
your  friendship  to  Christ.     The  love  of  Christ  is 


FRIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SA\T:0UE  AND  SAVED.      1G5 

not  a  mere  warm  sentimental  emotion,  but  a 
mighty  principle  of  action  that  sets  every  faculty 
in  the  man  to  work.  Hence  the  secret  of  Paul's 
consuming  labors  was,  "  The  love  of  Christ 
constraineth  us." 

2.  They  confide  in  Jiim,  they  trust  him  in 
return.  They  admit  him  into  the  fullest  confi- 
dence. They  tell  him  all  their  secrets.  I  may 
distrust  a  stranger — to  a  friend  I  give  aU  my 
confidence.  They  tell  him  what  they  would  not 
tell  father  or  mother — their  secret  thoughts. 
They  lay  them  open  to  his  eye.  They  lay  upon 
him  the  burden  of  all  their  sins.  "I  lay  my 
sins  on  Jesus."  They  ask  his  help  against  the 
sin  which  doth  most  easily  beset  them.  They 
ask  his  counsel  in  everything.  They  lay  open 
their  wants  to  receive  his  ocean  fulness. 

''With  him  sweet  converse  I  maintain  : 
Great  as  he  is,  I  dare  be  free  : 
I  tell  him  all  my  grief  and  pain, 
And  he  reveals  his  love  to  me." 

They  embrace  every  opportunity  of  meeting 
him.  Separation  from  him  is  painful.  It  is  this 
that  makes  the  closet  so  dear.     There  they  have 


166  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

secret  communings  with  liim  wliicli  it  is  not 
possible  for  man  to  utter.  "His  left  hand  is 
under  my  head,"  said  the  spouse,  "  and  his  right 
hand  doth  embrace  me."  There  they  take  their 
first  walk  with  their  Friend — they  sing  their 
first  song  to  him — they  take  their  first  meal  with 
him — they  have  then-  first  transaction  with  him. 
They  commit  everything  to  his  care.  They 
have  learned  that  sweet  word  of  Peter's,  "  Cast- 
ing all  your  care  upon  him,  for  he  careth  for 
you."  They  have  learned  to  say,  in  the  words 
of  a  very  saintly  man,  lately  fallen  asleep  in 
Jesus,  "  I  desire  to  commit  all  I  have  to  thee — 
my  friends,  my  family,  my  wealth,  my  business, 
my  esteem  in  the  world.  I  am  willing  to  receive 
what  thou  givest,  to  want  what  thou  withholdest, 
to  relinquish  what  thou  takest,  to  suffer  what 
thou  inflictest,  to  be  what  thou  requirest,  and  to 
do  what  thou  commandest." 

3.  They  sympatliize  with  him. 

They  sympathize  with  the  aims  of  his  life. 
He  came  to  reveal  the  Father,  to  publish  to  the 
world  that  God  is  love,  to  save  the  lost,  to 
destroy  the   works   of  the   devil.     With    their 


FRIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAVIOUR  AND  SAVED.      167 

whole  lieart  and  soul  tlie  Mends  of  Christ  enter 
into  these  aims  :  with  their  whole  heart  and  sonl 
thej  adopt  his  resolve,  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the 
will  of  him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  his  work. 
Again,  they  sympathize  with  his  suffering 
members.  Christ  suffers  m  his  weak  members 
— his  friends  suffer  with  him.  To  visit  Christ's 
poor — to  visit  the  fatherless  and  the  widow  in 
their  affliction,  is  a  sure  way  of  showing  your 
friendship  to  him.  "  Who  is  weak  and  I  am  not 
weak?  Who  is  offended  and  I  burn  not?" 
Look  at  yon  couch  of  pain,  where  one  of 
Christ's  members  is  suffering  patiently,  shut 
out  from  ordinances,  and  thinking  with  meek 
tears  of  C  ommunion  Sabbaths  long  gone  by ; 
if  you  visit  him,  if  you  pray  with  him,  if  you 
relieve  him,  if  you  make  his  sorrow  your  own ; 
by  that  act  you  are  befriending  the  Great 
Friend  in  heaven.  Wlien  Paul  was  lying  in 
prison  for  the  last  time  at  Kome,  with  the  four 
walls  of  a  narrow  dungeon  around  him  and  a 
bloody  death  before  him,  Onesiphorus  threaded 
his  way  through  the  crowded  metropolis,  and 
at  the  risk  of  shame  sought  him  out  very  dili- 


168  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISEAEL. 

gently  until  lie  found  him  in  tlie  condemned 
cell.  He  visited  liim  often,  and  his  visits  were 
very  refreshing.  There  was  friendship  for 
Christ;  and  Paul  prays  that,  in  that  great  day 
when  the  whole  universe  shall  be  assembled, 
Onesiphorus  may  taste  the  sweetness  of  a  Sa- 
viour's mercy! 

4.  They  Tieljp  Christ  in  return.  "  Is  there  yet 
any  that  is  left  of  the  house  of  Saul,"  said 
David,  "  that  I  may  show  him  kindness  for 
Jonathan's  sake?"  This  was  the  fruit  of 
his  friendship  for  Jonathan.  And  as  Jonathan 
took  Mephibosheth  to  the  royal  table,  so  your 
friendship  for  Jesus  will  take  expression  in 
some  way.  The  Bridegroom  is  away,  but  his 
Bride  is  still  on  earth,  and  you  can  help  her. 
When  Christ's  cause  is  low,  whether  in  a  desti- 
tute lane  at  home,  or  at  a  foreign  mission  station, 
help  it — give  liberally  of  your  money.  When 
his  name  is  dishonored,  and  his  followers 
ridiculed,  confess  him  boldly,  and  say,  with  no 
uncertain  sound,  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth,  to  the 


FEIENDSHIP  OF  THE  SAVIOUR  AND  SAVED.      169 

Jew  first,  and  also  to  tlie  Greek.  When  Lis 
Word  is  dishonored  by  the  scoffer,  the  sceptic, 
the  rationalist,  stand  np  for  it  as  the  foundation 
of  all  your  hopes.  When  his  day  is  encroached 
upon,  stand  up  for  its  entire  sanctification, 
and  avow  that  the  Sabbath  is  the  palladium 
of  our  Scottish  Christianity. 

I  close  with  two  words  of  application. 

1.  To  the  friends  of  Jesus  let  me  say  what 
a  friend  is  yours  !  How  ennobling  his  friend- 
ship !  What  a  spring  of  everlasting  consola- 
tion !  It  was  a  joy  to  Joseph's  brethren  that  he 
was  lord  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt ;  but  you 
have  a  joy  unspeakably  greater,  jowi  dearest 
Friend  is  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  This 
Friend  never  changes.  You  have  had  to  mourn 
over  the  fickleness  of  earthly  friendships,  and 
one  of  the  saddest  thoughts  in  the  history  of 
the  world  is  the  estrangements  that  often  arise 
between  fi-iends  who  once  were  dear.  In  this 
world,  a  word  may  cost  you  your  friend.  But 
he  never  changes.  (Heb.  xiii.  8.)  He  never  fails. 
(Heb.  xiii.  5.)  He  never  dies. 


170  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

"Friend  after  friend  departs  : 
Who  ha  til  not  lost  a  friend  ? 

There  is  no  union  here  of  hearts 
That  finds  not  here  an  end. 

Were  this  frail  world  our  only  rest, 
Living  or  dying  none  were  blest." 

But  death  only  admits  you  into  Lis  immedi- 
ate presence. 

2.  If  you  are  not  a  friend  of  Jesus,  you  are 
poor  indeed.  Alas  !  for  those  whose  friendships 
all  perish  at  death.  "  If  any  man  love  not  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema  Mara- 
natha."  Eemember  well.  He  offers  his  friend- 
ship to  the  unsaved.  You  have  long  rejected 
him ;  still  he  offers  to  be  your  fiiend.  And 
nothing  is  so  provoking  as  the  rejection  of 
offered  friendship.  If  you  refuse  when  the 
Heavenly  Friend  invites  you  to  his  house,  when 
he  offers  you  his  friendship,  his  fellowship,  his 
grace,  his  counsel,  his  tender  pity,  do  not  won- 
der at  the  words  of  doom  which  wiU  burst  in 
thunder  from  the  fiery-wheeled  throne,  "  Depart, 
I  never  knew  you." 


VIII. 

CLOSEE    THAN    A    BKOTHEE. 

Prov.  xviii.  24. 
■There  is  a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother." 

PJENDSHIP  is  sweet;  but  brother- 
hood is  sweeter.  "  A  brother  is  born 
for  adversity."  You  can  trust  him; 
you  can  pour  your  grief  into  his  ear  ; 
the  sympathetic  throb  of  his  heart  is  the  most  re- 
viving cordial  in  the  day  of  distress.  Tour  trial 
is  not  half  so  sore,  nor  your  burden  half  so  heavy, 
when  your  brother,  standing  by  your  side,  helps 
to  bear  it.  Tour  tears  are  almost  exchanged 
for  smiles,  when  your  brother  mingles  his  tears 
with  yours.  Tenderer  than  the  fiiendship 
which  blesses  the  world  is  the  tie  that  links 
brother  to  brother.     How  near  must  the  friend 

(171) 


172  THE  SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

be  that  sticketli  closer  tlian  a  brother!  "We 
shall  speak  of  him  for  a  little  in  this  chapter. 
To  those  especially  who  have  no  brother  and 
few  friends,  our  words  may  be  welcome. 
This  Friend  sticketli  closer  than  a  brother : 
1.  In  relation.  The  relation  of  brother  to  bro- 
ther is  near ;  the  relation  of  Christ  to  a  Chris- 
tian is  nearer.  Like  branches,  starting  from  the 
same  stem,  and  fed  by  the  same  sap,  which  grow 
together  and  intertwine :  thus  do  brothers  grow ; 
— the  same  life-blood  in  both.  But  this  is  only 
one  of  a  thousand  emblems  which  illustrate  the 
close  relation  of  the  saint  to  the  Saviour.  This 
relation  includes  all  the  nearest  relationships  of 
earth  put  together.  On  one  occasion,  as  Jesus 
preached  to  the  multitude,  when  it  was  sought 
to  press  upon  his  notice  the  relationship  of  the 
virgin-mother  and  her  sons  to  him,  he  set  it  aside, 
and,  stretching  forth  his  hand  towards  his  dis- 
ciples, he  said,  "  Behold  my  mother  and  my 
brethren  !  For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my 
brother  and  sister  and  mother."  He  is  the 
Husband  of  the  Church.     In  the  day  of  regen- 


CLOSER  THAN  A  BROTHER.  173 

eration  a  marriage  union  is  formed.  "  My  Be- 
loved is  mine,  and  I  am  liis."  The  bond  is 
double.  He  holds  the  saved  by  his  S^Diiit :  they 
hold  him  by  faith.  So  intimate  is  this  relation 
that  they  are  "  members  of  his  body,  of  his  flesh, 
and  of  his  bones."  Look  at  the  vine  and  its 
branches.  'Who  can  see  the  line  where  the  stem 
ends  and  the  branch  begins?  There  is  no 
such  hne.  The  two  are  inseparable.  And  the 
stem  communicates  its  life  to  the  branches,  until 
they  bend  with  purple  clusters  to  the  ground. 
Such  is  the  Friend  closer  than  a  brother.  All 
that  is  dear  in  the  names  of  brother,  sister, 
father,  mother,  and  husband,  is  included  in  his 
relation  to  his  own.  Himself  the  true  Vine,  they 
are  the  branches.  Himself  the  Head  of  the 
body,  they  are  the  members.  HimseK  the 
Foundation  of  the  temple,  they  are  the  living 
stones.  Himself  the  First-born,  they  are  the 
younger  brothers  and  sisters  daily  growing  in 
likeness  to  their  elder  Brother.  Himself  the 
Bridegroom,  they  are  the  Bride,  who,  arrayed 
in  his  righteousness  and  adorned  with  the  jewels 


174  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

of  his  Spirit's  grace,  sliall  one  daj  enter  into 
the  King's  palace. 

2.  In  love.  There  are  many  limits  to  a 
brother's  love  :  there  are  no  limits  to  the  love  of 
this  Friend.  It  had  no  heginning.  It  never 
changes,  although  its  manifestations  may  change. 
A  brother's  love  is  changeable.  If  you  provoke 
him,  he  takes  offence,  and  "  is  harder  to  be  won 
than  a  strong  city."  Distance,  suspicion,  the 
tongue  of  slander  sharper  than  a  serpent's  tooth? 
reverse  of  fortune,  loss  of  character,  may  cool  a 
brother's  love.  This  love  never  changes- 
Stronger  than  a  father's,  tenderer  than  a  moth- 
er's, no  sin  can  weary  it,  no  ingratitude  can  cool 
it.  "  The  mountains  shall  depart,  and  the  hills 
be  removed  :  but  my  kindness  shall  not  depart 
fi'om  thee."  You  may  lose  the  sense  of  it, 
if  you  wrap  yourself  in  unbelief ;  as  you  lose  the 
sun,  when  a  dense  fog  hides  the  landscape,  and 
the  chilly  rain  pours  from  the  leaden  sky.  But 
you  do  not  ask,  Where  is  the  sun  ?  for  you  know 
that  he  moves  along  his  heaven-high  road  in  his 
chariot  of  light.  And  this  love  never  ends. 
Even  in  the  dark  valley  its  everlasting  arms  are 


CLOSEE  THAN  A  BROTHEB.  175 

■underneatli  you.  And  there  is  one  glorious  con- 
trast between  it  and  earthly  brother-love. 
Earthly  friends  are  good  while  you  don't  trouble 
them.  The  more  you  tax  a  brother's  love,  the 
colder  is  it  apt  to  become :  the  more  you  tax 
this  love,  it  becomes  the  warmer.  The  less  you 
lean  on  earthly  friends,  the  likelier  is  their 
friendship  to  last :  the  more  you  lean  on  tliis 
Friend,  the  oftener  you  knock  at  his  door,  and 
press  into  his  presence,  and  receive  out  of  his 
fulness,  the  more  he  will  reveal  to  you  the  bless- 
edness of  his  love.  Draw  often  on  an  earthly 
brother  for  help,  and  he  may  grow  weary :  draw 
on  this  Friend  without  ceasing,  and  he  will 
suppl}^  all  your  wants  according  to  his  riches  in 
glory. 

3.  In  respect  of  actual  presence.  You  can  sel- 
dom see  your  brother.  Tour  spheres  are  far 
separate.  Your  eldest  brother,  finding  it  hard 
to  keej)  the  wolf  from  the  door  at  home,  went  to 
Australia  :  the  youngest,  naturally  of  a  restless. 
Quixotic  tui-n,  and  the  proximity  of  the  sea  feed- 
ing his  restlessness,  went  to  sea :  another  lives 
a  hundred  miles  off,  and  you  have  not  seen  him 


176  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

for  years  :  and  your  sister  is  married  in  Canada. 
You  will  never  meet  again  here.  You  have  a 
brother  :  but  in  a  sense  you  have  not.  Still  you 
need  never  be  without  a  friend.  The  Friend 
that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother  is  ever  at 
your  side.     He  is  better  than  ten  brothers. 

And  death  separates  brothers  on  earth.  I 
lately  visited  a  quiet  spot  on  the  shore  of  a 
beautiful  lake  in  the  Highlands.  I  stood  over 
two  little  mounds  covered  with  rank  grass,  over 
which  the  wind  blew  its  waves  of  shadow.  They 
were  the  graves  of  my  brother  and  sister.  We 
had  once  played  together,  and  learned  to 
pray  beside  the  same  knee.  "  Ah,"  methought, 
"  how  little  conscious  is  this  sleeping  dust  of  the 
presence  of  the  careworn  figure  that  stands 
above !"  Brother !  when  you  feel  thus  lone, 
and  the  world  has  a  look  of  weariness,  and  life 
seems  a  dark  enigma,  "  stars  silent  above  us, 
graves  under  us  silent,"  take  heart;  remember 
that  you  have  a  Friend  that  sticketh  closer  than 
a  brother.  Death  may  tear  your  brother  from 
your  side,  or  you  from  his.  But  Jesus  sticks 
close  at  death.     "At  once — no  flight  through 


CLOSER  THAN  A  BROTHER.  177 

immensity — no  pilgrimage  of  tlie  spheres — for 
the  everlasting  arms  are  the  first  resting-place 
of  the  disembodied  soul — it  will  be  in  the  bosom 
of  Emmanuel  that  the  emancipated  spirit  will 
inquire, '  Where  am  I?'  and  read  in  the  face  of 
Jesus  the  answer,  *  Forever  with  the  Lord.'  "  ^ 

4.  In  respect  of  poiver  to  help.  Often,  after 
all,  what  can  a  brother  do  for  you  ?  Can  he 
remove  pain  or  suffering?  Can  he  heal  the 
seams  and  scars  of  a  wounded  soul?  Can  he 
pluck  the  sting  from  a  guilty  conscience?  Can 
he  exorcise  the  haunting  reminiscences  of  a 
polluted  heart?  Can  he  deliver  fi'om  death? 
Can  he  even  extricate  the  difficulties  of  life? 
Can  he  open  the  gate  of  heaven  ?  No,  no.  He 
can  do  none  of  these  for  liimself.  But  the  Friend 
closer  than  a  brother  can  do  all  these.  He  can 
forgive  all  your  iniquities.  He  can  heal  all 
your  diseases.  He  can  redeem  your  life  from 
destruction.  He  can  crown  you  with  loving- 
kindness  and  tender  mercies.  He  can  satisfy 
your  mouth  with  good  things,  so  that  yolir 
youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagle's.     So  that,  with 

*  "Mount  of  Olives,"  p.  45. 
12 


178  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

liis  omnipresence  to  abide  with  you,  and  his 
omnipotence  to  guard  you — with  his  fulness  to 
supply  you,  and  his  love  to  solace  you — with  his 
wisdom  to  counsel  you,  and  his  compassionate 
heart  to  sympathize  with  you — with  his  promises 
to  feed  you,  and  the  light  of  his  face  to  shine 
upon  you,  to  shed  upon  you  the  sense  of  a 
Divine  personal  recognition,  and  to  fill  you  with 
unutterable  joy — you  need  never  complain  that 
you  are  without  friends,  that  you  have  nothing 
worth  Kving  for,  and  that  your  heart  is  grown 
old  and  gray  before  the  time. 

The  practical  uses  of  this  are  obvious  : 
1.  SlioiD  yourself  friendly  to  Mm.  "  A  man 
that  hath  friends  must  show  himself  friendly." 
To  a  Friend  closer  than  a  brother  show  yourself 
friendlier  than  to  a  brother.  Walk  with  him 
like  Enoch.  Correspond  with  him  by  prayer. 
Meet  him  in  those  trysting-places  where  he 
records  his  name.  You  show  your  love  to  a 
friend  by  visiting  his  house.  Frequent  Ms 
house.  Work  for  him.  Testify  for  him  in  a 
dark  world.  "Let  your  light  shine  before 
men." 


CLOSER  THAN  A  BROTHER.  179 

2.  Stick  dose  to  Mm — closer  than  to  a  brother. 
Friendship  must  not  be  one-sided.  He  has 
loved  jou  with  an  everlasting  love.  Give  him 
your  spark  of  love  in  return.  He  has  reached 
forth  his  arms  to  receive  you.  Eeach  forth 
your  arms  to  receive  him.  Stick  to  him  to  the 
last.  Be  like  Caleb,  who  followed  the  Lord 
fully — with  all  his  heart,  at  all  hazards,  all  his 
days. 


IX 


THE    FIEKY    TRIaLi. 

1  Petee  iv.  12,  13. 
"Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  tlie  fiery- 
trial  which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange  thing 
happened  unto  you :  but  rejoice  inasmuch  as  ye  are 
partakers  of  Christ's  sufferings,  that,  when  his  glory  shall 
be  revealed,  ye  may  be  glad  also  -with  exceeding    joy." 


jHERE  is  not  a  verse  in  tlie  Bible,  wliicli 
represents  the  Christian  life  as  an  easy 
p^  thing.  All  the  figures  employed  to  de- 
scribe it  are  suggestive  of  hardship 
and  difficulty.  It  is  a  race, — and  the  Christian 
is  commanded  to  lay  aside  every  weight,  and 
the  sin  which  most  easily  besets  him,  and  to  press 
towards  the  mark  for  the  prize.  It  is  a  warfare, 
— and  the  hardships  incident  to  a  soldier's  life 
are  included  in  it, — the  toilsome  march,  the 
(180) 


THE   FIERY  TRIAL.  181 

night-watcli,  the  surprise,  tlie  deadly  charge, 
the  shame  of  defeat,  the  triumph  of  victory.  It 
is  a  voyage,  for  those  who  dej)art  from  the  path 
are  said  to  make  shipwreck ;  and  although  bea- 
cons have  been  planted  on  the  reefs  and  hght- 
houses  on  the  headlands  by  the  Lord  of  the 
country  whither  we  are  going — although  the 
Bible  is  the  chart  and  Jesus  the  Pilot — yet  the 
quicksands  are  so  treacherous,  and  the  Eurocly- 
don  blasts  so  fierce,  that  millions  have  never 
reached  the  shining  shores.  It  is  a  pilgi'image, 
— saints  in  aU  ages  have  confessed  that  they 
w^ere  strangers  and  pilgrims  in  the  earth, — every 
heaven-tending  soul  finds  its  "ProgTess"  por- 
trayed in  Bunyan's  beautiful  map  of  the  journey 
"  from  this  world  to  that  which  is  to  come," — 
and  recognizes  another  self  in  the  lone  man  w^ho 
left  wife  and  children  behind,  and  never  halted 
tiU  he  reached  the  celestial  city.  Here  it  is 
called  a  fiery  trial  {"  the  burning  "  is  the  literal 
rendering) — trial  in  the  furnace  or  fining-pot — 
purification  by  fire.  "  For  thou,  O  God,  hast 
tried  us  as  silver  is  tried."  "  I  will  bring  the 
third  part  through  the  fire,  and  will  refine  them 


182  THE   SHEPHERD  OF  ISEAEL. 

as  silver  is  refined,  and  will  try  them  as  gold  is 
tried."  (Ps.  Ixvi.  10 ;  Zech.  xiii.  9.)  No  cross, 
no  crown — no  thorn,  no  throne — no  trial,  no 
triumph.  We  never  read  of  a  bed  on  which  the 
pilgrim  is  to  sleep,  or  of  a  coach  in  which  he  is 
to  ride  in  state  to  heaven.  There  is  an  insepar- 
able connection  between  the  race  and  the  prize 
— ^between  the  fight  of  faith  and  the  victor's 
throne — ^between  the  rough  voyage  and  the  en- 
trance into  the  blissful  haven  —  between  the 
march  through  the  wilderness  and  the  posses- 
sion of  C  anaan — between  the  tears  of  earth  and 
the  songs  of  heaven. 

"Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning 
the  fiery  trial."  Look  at  the  tenderness  of  the 
words !  This  is  the  language  of  a  companion  in 
tribulation.  How  changed  is  Peter  since  we  saw 
him  last !  He  was  then  soldier-like,  frank,  im- 
pulsive, outspoken :  a  true  disciple,  no  doubt, 
but  so  rash  and  self-confident,  that  he  was  con- 
tinually starting  aside.  He  is  now  calm,  sub- 
dued, tender,  watchful.  The  Hght  of  his  epistles 
is  soft  as  the  light  of  the  evening  sun.  The 
change  is  due  to  his  grievous  fall  and  gracious 


THE  FTEEY  TRIAL.  183 

recovery.  A  tradition,  current  in  tlie  early 
Chm^cli,  informs  us,  that  as  long  as  lie  lived  lie 
never  heard  the  cock  crow  without  weeping. 
The  broken  bone,  when  it  knits  and  is  healed,  is 
strongest  at  the  point  of  fracture.  "God  can 
■f  make  use  of  poison  to  expel  poison."  Strange 
mystery — that  he  can  take  even  your  sin  and 
make  it  work  for  your  soul's  sanctification. 
"He  can  make  the  deeper  sin  produce  the 
deeper  penitence — he  can  let  you  down  into 
such  an  abyss  of  self-loathing  that  you  will  rise 
the  stronger  from  your  very  fall.  As  the  tree  is 
fertilized  by  its  own  broken  branches  and  fallen 
leaves,  and  gTows  by  its  own  decay ;"  thus  by 
Peter's  fall  was  his  soul  chastened,  purified,  and 
ripened  for  glory.  "  The  Lord  turned  and 
looked  upon  Peter ;  .  .  .  and  Peter  went  out 
and  wept  bitterly."  That  great  burst  of  love 
and  sorrow  is  the  secret  of  the  tender  affection- 
ateness  of  the  words — "Beloved,  think  it  not 
strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial  which  is  to  try 

you." 

Let  us  select  four  elements  in  the  fiery  trial, 
and  dwell  on  them  for  a  little  :  the  persecution  of 


184  THE  SHEPHEBD   OF  ISEAEL. 

the  luorld — tlie  crucifixion  of  theflesli — tlie  confiict 
luith  Satan — the  crooks  in  tlie  lot. 

1.  Tlie  persecution  of  the  world.  Cain  killed 
Abel — and  Cain  will  kill  Abel  to  the  end  of 
the  world.  The  spirit  of  Christ  and  the  spirit 
of  the  world  are  diametrically  opposite.  The 
enmity  which  God  put  between  the  serpent 
and  the  woman,  and  between  the  serpent's 
seed  and  her  seed,  rages  at  this  hour.  It 
may  not  always  break  forth — the  venom  sleeps 
in  the  folded  snake — but  it  is  there.  As 
Ishmael  persecuted  Isaac,  and  Esau  Jacob, 
and  Saul  David — so  the  world  has  persecuted 
the  Church  in  all  ages.  See  how  it  fared  with 
the  prophets.  "  Which  of  the  proj)hets,"  said 
Stephen,  "have  your  fathers  not  persecuted? 
And  they  have  slain  them  which  showed  be- 
fore of  the  coming  of  the  Just  One,  of  whom 
ye  have  now  been  the  betrayers  and  murderers. 
(Acts  vii.  52.)  "  And  others  had  trial  of  cruel 
mockings  and  scourgings,  yea,  moreover,  of 
bonds  and  imprisonment :  they  were  stoned, 
they  were  sawn  asunder,  were  tempted,  were 
slain  with  the   sword  :    they  wandered   about 


THE   FIEPtY  TKL\L.  185 

in  slieep-skins  and  goat-skins  ;  being  destitute, 
afflicted,  tormented :  (of  whom  the  world  was 
not  worthy  :)  they  wandered  in  deserts,  and 
in  momitains,  and  in  dens  and  caves  of  the 
earth."  (Heb.  xi.  36-38.)  Dr.  John  Brown 
is  of  opinion  that  this  refers  to  the  Maccabean 
mart^TS.  But  the  sufferings  of  the  prophets, 
ai^ostles,  and  early  Christian  martyrs  might  be 
described  in  the  same  words.  During  the  first 
three  hundred  years  of  our  era  the  Church 
was  in  a  state  of  chronic  persecution.  You 
have  read  of  the  ten  general  persecutions  dur- 
ing these  ages  of  fiery  trial.  So  fierce  was  the 
persecutors'  rage  that  the  words  "  To  the  lions 
with  the  Chi-istians — to  the  lions  with  the 
atheists" — passed  into  a  proverb.  You  have 
read  the  harrowing  records  of  the  sufferings 
inflicted  upon  the  saints  by  Nero :  "  They 
were  crucified.  They  were  sewed  in  sacks 
made  of  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  and  thrown 
to  be  torn  by  dogs.  They  were  smeared  with 
pitch,  fixed  upon  the  sharp  points  of  poles 
and  set  on  fire  as  torches  to  illuminate  the 
imperial    gardens    by    night."      "  The     most 


186  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISEAEL. 

illustrious  \dctim  of  the  martyr  times  was 
Polycarp,  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  a  disciple  of 
the  apostle  John.  He  was  carried  before 
the  proconsul,  and  called  on  to  curse  Christ, 
and  thus  obtain  his  liberty.  '  Eighty  and 
six  years,'  he  replied,  '  have  I  served  him, 
and  he  never  did  me  any  wrong  ;  how  then 
can  I  blaspheme  my  King  and  my  Saviour?' 
He  died,  praising  God  amidst  the  flames, 
for  having  deemed  him  worthy  to  be  numbered 
among  his  martyrs."  Nothing  can  be  more 
spirit-stirring  than  the  manifestation  of  the 
power  of  Divine  grace  in  these  martyr  times 
— ^liow  it  made  the  noble  sufferers  insensible 
to  the  rack  and  the  fire.  Look  at  the  fiery 
trials  of  the  Reformation  period.  On  St. 
Bartholomew's  day,  August  24,  1572,  thirty 
thousand  Protestants  were  butchered  in  Paris 
under  the  direction  of  Catherine  de  Medici; 
and  Rome  offered  solemn  thanksgivings  to 
God.  The  bloody  Mary  tried  to  burn  out 
the  Protestant  faith  with  the  fires  of  Smith- 
field,  and  martyrs  Like  Saunders,  and  Ridley, 
and    Hooper,   went    up    in    the  fiery  chariot. 


THE  FIERY   TRIAL.  187 

And  there  was  a  Bartliolomew  Day  in  England 
too.  In  1662,  two  years  after  the  Restoration, 
by  what  was  called  the  act  of  Uniformity, 
more  than  two  thousand  ministers,  men  such 
as  Owen  and  Philip  Henry,  Baxter  and 
Howe,  Bunyan  and  Joseph  Alleine,  were 
driven  from  their  pulpits  and  cast  upon  the 
providence  of  God,  because  they  could  not 
conform  to  the  Articles  of  the  Church  of 
England.  It  was  then  that  Baxter  wrote 
the  touching  hues  : 

"Must  I  be  driven  from  my  books  ? 

From  house,  and  goods,  and  dearest  friends  ? 
One  of  tby  sweet  and  gracious  looks, 
For  more  than  tbis  -will  make  amends. 

"My  Lord  bath  taugbt  me  bow  to  want 
A  place  wberein  to  put  my  bead  : 
Wbile  be  is  mine,  I'll  be  content, 
To  beg  or  lack  my  daily  bread. 

"Heaven  is  my  roof,  eartb  is  my  floor, 
Tby  love  can  keep  me  dry  and  warm  : 
Cbrist  and  tby  bounty  are  my  store  : 
Tby  angels  guard  me  from  all  barm. 

"As  for  my  friends,  tbey  are  not  lost ; 
Tbe  several  vessels  of  tby  fleet, 
Though  parted  now,  by  tempest-tossed, 
Shall  safely  in  the  haven  meet." 


188  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

Need  I  remind  you  of  the  fiery  trials  of 
the  coYenanters  ?  The  year  after  the  Act 
of  Uniformity-  was  passed  in  England,  four 
hundred  ministers  in  Scotland  were  driven 
from  their  churches  for  refusing  to  own  the 
king's  authority  within  the  house  of  God. 
Their  flocks  were  scattered,  banished,  shot 
down  on  the  moor,  executed  on  the  scaffold. 
The  sword  of  persecution  shed  the  blood 
of  eighteen  thousand  martyrs.  These  times 
— when  Hugh  M'Kail  and  Donald  Cargill 
were  hanged  in  the  Grassmarket  for  no  crime 
but  their  faithful  witness-bearing  for  Christ, 
— when  Alexander  Peden,  the  Covenanter- 
prophet,  pined  in  the  dungeons  of  the  Bass 
— when  men  like  John  Brown  of  Priesthill 
were  shot  like  partridges  by  the  dragoons 
of  Claverhouse--are  still  remembered  with 
a  shudder  as  the  hiUing-times  of  Scotland,. 

Blessed  be  God,  Christ's  witnesses  are  not 
now  exposed  to  this  form  of  fiery  trial.  "  The 
fires  of  Smithfield  are  extinct,  the  Grassmarket 
gallows  is  taken  down."  All  religions  are 
tolerated  now.     But  the  spirit  of  the  world  is  as 


THE  FIERY  TEIAL.  189 

much  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  Christ  as  ever. 
No  doubt  it  treats  reHgion  with  respect — it  re- 
gards the  Church  as  a  venerable  iustitution — it 
subscribes  the  Articles  and  takes  the  Sacrament. 
But  if  you  make  religion  the  one  thing  needful 
— if  you  refuse  all  doubtful  compromises — the 
world  will  call  you  a  fool,  and  then  begins  the 
fiery  trial.  If  a  son  or  daughter  in  a  family  is 
awakened,  what  a  clamor  arises !  "  Oh,  my 
son  or  daughter  is  turned  Methodist :  she  does 
nothing  but  attend  meetings,  and  read  Eyle's 
tracts  and  Spurgeon's  sermons :  and  he  is  act- 
ually thinking  of  leaving  the  office  and  studying 
for  the  Church ! "  It  is  the  fulfilment  of  the 
Saviour's  words  :  "  A  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of 
his  own  household."  When  the  "Daiiyman's 
Daughter"  was  converted,  her  sister  laughed 
and  said  that  her  head  was  turned  Avitli  her 
new  ways.  Is  there  no  persecution,  think  you, 
but  that  of  the  rack  and  the  fire?  It  is  by 
scoffs  and  sneers,  and  the  cold  laugh  of  derision 
that  the  world  persecutes  now.  "  There  are 
Sabbath-honorers  who  lose  their  employment 
or  their  trade,  and  keepers  of  a  conscience  who 


190  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

forfeit  patronage  and  profit.  And  not  iinfre- 
qnentlj,  I  fear,  is  the  praying  youth  interrupted 
in  his  devotion  by  scoffing  room-mates,  just  as 
the  Bible-reading  servant  or  church-going 
artisan  is  made  a  butt  and  a  byword  by  rude 
and  jeering  comrades."  "^  Do  you  not  persecute 
a  man,  if  you  shun  his  society  and  slander  his 
good  name  ?  In  our  day  the  world's  smiles  are 
more  dangerous  than  its  frowns.  They  often 
prove  a  fiery  trial. 

2.  The  crucifixion  of  tJie  flesh. 

There  is  an  old  man  and  a  new,  an  Adam  and 
a  Christ,  in  every  believer.  He  has  a  double 
life.  The  old  man  is  the  saint  as  far  as  he  is 
unrenewed,  the  new  man  is  the  saint  as  far  as 
he  is  renewed.  The  fiesh  lusteth  against  the 
spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh.  Sin  re- 
ceives its  death-blow,  it  is  true,  in  the  day  of  re- 
generation. The  regenerate  are  baptized  into 
Christ's  death.  As  he  was  raised  up  from  the 
dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  they  also  walk 
in  newness  of  life.  They  are  planted  together 
in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  and  therefore  they 
*  "Morning  Beside  the  Lake  of  Galilee,"  p.  90. 


THE  FIERY  TEIAL.  191 

are  planted  together  in  tlie  likeness  of  liis  re- 
suiTection.  Their  old  man  is  crucified  with  him, 
that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed.  They 
are  dead  with  Christ,  and  they  also  live  with 
him.  They  enter  into  his  resurrection  hfe. 
Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  them,  for  they 
are  not  under  the  law,  but  under  grace.  They 
drink  of  the  twin  fountains  of  ijeace  and  holiness 
that  gush  forth  fi'om  the  cross.  Their  sins  are 
all  blotted  out  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Their 
sentence  of  death  is  cancelled,  and  theh  prison 
doors  thrown  open.  Satan  has  now  no  power 
over  them,  as  the  executioner  has  no  power  over 
the  man  whom  liis  sovereign  has  pardoned. 
And,  finally,  they  receive  a  perfect  righteousness 
— a  righteousness  so  perfect  that  it  is  an  unfail- 
ing passport  to  heaven,  and,  arrayed  in  it,  they 
can  stand  unchallenged  before  the  throne. 

Then  "the  dynamics  of  sanctification""^  come 
into  play.  The  new  life  within,  that  came  fi*om 
heaven  and  returns  to  heaven — the  vital  union 
wdth  Christ  in  his  death  and  resurrection — the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  continual 

*  Dr.  Jolin  Duncan. 


192  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISKAEL. 

supplies  of  liis  grace — tlie  removal  of  tlie  curse 
— the  sweet  sense  of  pardon — the  operation  of 
those  mighty  motives  of  love  and  adoring  thank- 
fulness to  the  kinsman  Redeemer — these  are  the 
divine  forces  that  will  eventually  destroy  the 
body  of  sin.  Christ  made  an  end  of  sin.  He 
bore  its  curse,  and  destroyed  its  power.  Our 
old  man  is  crucified  with  him.  Crucifixion  is 
death.  The  crucified  may  struggle,  but  he  can- 
not come  down  from  the  cross  till  he  dies. 

Tlie  crucifixion  of  the  flesh  is  a  fiery  trial. 
Crucifixion  was  a  painful  and  a  lingering  death. 
So  is  the  crucifixion  of  the  flesh. 

Painfnl.  The  old  man  is  nailed  to  the  cross. 
The  death  of  Christ  is  a  type  of  the  Christian's 
life.  As  he  was  nailed  to  the  accursed  tree, 
so  must  our  old  man  be.  The  right  hand  must 
be  cut  ofi*.  The  right  eye  must  be  plucked  out. 
And  these  w^ords  of  Christ  are  something  very 
much  deeper  and  more  awful  than  poetical 
symbols  and  metaphors.  Our  old,  proud, 
corrupt  self — what  was  our  ivhole  self  until  the 
day  of  our  quickening  together  with  Christ — 
must  be  torn  with  the  nails,  must  be  pierced 


THE   FIERY   TEIAI.  193 

with  the  spear,  must  drink  the  cup  of  gall.  The 
new  man  must  slay  the  old.  "No  holiness  is 
won  by  any  other  means  than  this,  that  sin 
should  be  slain  day  by  day,  and  hour  by  hour. 
In  long  lingering  agony  often,  with  the  blood  of 
the  heart  pouring  out  at  every  quivering  vein, 
you  are  to  cut  right  through  the  Kfe  and  being 
of  that  sinful  self."  ^  Think  of  the  pain  of  this ! 
"What  wih  ye  see  in  the  Shulamite?  as  the 
company  of  two  armies."  As  if  two  souls  strug- 
gled in  one  body — as  if  an  angel  of  Hght  and  an 
angel  of  darkness  warred  within  you  for  the 
mastery.  The  bitter  spring,  deep  down  in  your 
soul,  has  been  healed  by  casting  into  it  the 
cross  of  Christ ;  but  there  still  remains  a  tinge 
of  bitterness  in  the  sweetened  waters.  Brother ! 
you  must  be  perfected  through  suffering.  Look 
at  David.  Turn  over  the  Psalter,  and  see  to 
how  many  strains  the  harp  strings  are  struck. 
His  new  nature — ^his  true  self — finds  expression 
in  heavenly  strains  like  these :  "  As  for  me,  I 
will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness :  I  shall 

*  Maclaren's  Sermons,  p.  88.     Ealph  Erskine's  Sermon 
on  Gal.  ii.  19.     Owen  on  Indwelling  Sin. 
13 


194  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

be  satisfied  when  I  awake  with  thy  hkeness;" 
"  One  thing  have  I  desu-ecl  of  the  Lord ;"  "  My 
soul  followeth  hard  after  thee ;"  "  My  medi- 
tation of  him  shall  be  sweet ;"  "  How  precious 
also  are  thy  thoughts  unto  me,  O  God!  how 
great  is  the  sum  of  them!"  "Let  everything 
that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord  :  praise  ye  the 
Lord :"  but,  side  by  side  with  this,  his  old  na- 
ture, "  the  flesh,"  "  the  old  Adam,"  wrings  from 
him  the  sorrowful  plaints  :  "  I  am  weary  with  my 
groaning;  all  the  night  make  I  my  bed  to 
swim  :  I  water  my  couch  with  my  tears;"  "My 
wounds  stink,  and  are  corrupt,  because  of  my 
foohshness ;  I  am  troubled,  I  am  bowed  down 
greatly,  I  go  mourning  all  the  day  long."  As 
the  one  or  the  other  prevails,  it  is  joy,  or  tears 
among  the  willows.  Look  at  Paul.  The  throb 
of  the  thorn  in  the  flesh  w^as  shai^er  than 
"stripes,"  "prisons,"  "perils  of  waters,"  "perils 
of  robbers,"  "  weaiiness,"  "  cold  and  naked- 
ness." The  sword  of  Nero  never  made  him 
quail ;  it  was  "  a  hght  affliction  which  is  but  for 
a  moment " — it  only  cut  the  tie  that  bound  him 
to   earth,   and  let  his  ransomed  spirit  soar  on 


THE   FIERY   TBIXL.  195 

high : — the  thorn  in  the  flesh  wning  fi'om 
his  heart  a  cry  of  agony.  The  crucifixion 
of  the  flesli — the  putting  off  of  the  old  man 
— is  painful  work.  Yery  easy  it  is  to  say 
that  sin,  though  a  strong,  is  a  wounded  and 
dying  enemy :  but  it  is  with  a  sore  pang  that 
the  saint,  who  has  for  twenty  years  struggled 
against  it,  confesses  with  bursting  tears  :  "  I 
find  then  a  law  that  when  I  would  do  good, 
evil  is  present  with  me.  For  I  delight  in  the 
law  of  God  after  the  inward  man  :  but  I  see 
another  law  in  my  members,  warring  against  the 
law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into  captivity 
to  the  law  of  sin  which  is  in  my  members. 
O  wretched  man  that  I  am !  who  shall  deliver 
me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?" 

Lingering.  The  crucified  often  hung  on 
the  cross  for  hours — in  some  instances  for 
days — alive.  Emblem  of  the  slow  death 
which  sin  dies.  Sin  must  die  many  deaths. 
You  take  part  with  the  Spirit  against  it.  You 
put  it  where  God  put  it  when  he  condemned 
it  in  the  flesh.  You  hold  it  nailed  to  the 
Cross.       You    reckon     yourself    to     be     dead 


196  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

unto  it,  but  alive  unto  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  You  mortify,  deny,  resist, 
starve  it.  Still  it  lives  and  struggles.  It 
pollutes  and  poisons.  "  In  our  purest  moods, 
when  we  kneel  to  pray,  or  gather  round  tlie 
table,  down  into  the  very  Holy  of  Holies 
sweep  foul  birds  of  the  air,  villain  fancies, 
demon  thoughts.""^"  An  old  Roman  tyrant 
had  a  punishment  in  which  he  bound  the 
dead  body  of  the  murdered  to  the  living  body 
of  the  murderer.  Similar  is  the  agony  of  a 
heaven-born  soul  from  the  presence  of  sin. 
It  is  nailed  to  the  Cross — Christ  on  the  Cross 
cancelled  our  death  warrant,  and  procured 
sins  death  ivarrant — that  blessed  Cross  luill 
slay  the  fearful  hydra ;  but  it  lives — ^it  is 
not  dead.  Sometimes  it  gathers  itself  up 
for  a  desperate  effort.  You  fall,  and  all  seems 
lost.  You  say,  "I  shall  now  perish  one  day 
by  the  hand  of  Saul."  Oh,  it  is  a  weary 
conflict.  "  Here  is  an  enemy,"  says  Dr.  Owen, 
"  that  is  never  from  home — an  enemy  whose 
secret   windings   you   ean   only   track    as    you 

*  Robertson's  Sermons,  i.  24. 


THE   FIERY   TEL\L.  197 

track  the  underearth  operations  of  a  mole 
by  watching  the  heaving  surface."  Imagine 
an  inmate  secretly  lurking  in  your  house 
who,  if  you  turn  your  back,  will  at  any  moment 
set  the  house  on  fire.  Such  an  inmate  is  sin. 
It  lurks  in  dark  recesses  where  you  cannot 
reach  it,  and  seeks  every  moment  to  set 
your  soul  on  fii*e  of  hell.  How  weary  is 
disease ;  and  how  glad  is  the  pale  invalid 
who  has  long  pined  in  the  sick-room  to  walk 
forth  again,  and  breathe  the  crisp  air,  and 
see  the  green  hills,  and  the  sun.  With  such 
sense  of  weariness  under  the  disease  of  sin 
does  the  believer  pant  for  heaven.  Nothing 
makes  the  thought  of  heaven  so  sweet  as 
that  there  we  shall  sin  no  more.  "For  we 
that  are  in  this  tabernacle  do  groan,  being- 
burdened  :  not  for  that  we  would  be  unclothed, 
but  clothed  upon,  that  mortahty  might  be 
swallowed  up  of  life."  The  leprous  house 
had  to  be  pulled  down  before  the  leprosy 
could  be  quite  rooted  out  of  it ;  so  this  body  of 
sin  must  moulder  in  dust  ere  it  can  be  perfectly 
freed  from  the  leprosy  of  sin. 


198  THE   SHEPHERD    OF  ISRAEL. 

3.  The  confiict  loitli  Satan  is  a  fiery  trial.  He 
gives  you  no  rest  with  his  fiery  darts.  "  He 
walketh  about  as  a  roaring  lion,  seeking  whom 
he  may  devour."  "We  wrestle  not  against 
fiesh  and  blood,  but  against  principalities, 
against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the 
darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wicked- 
ness in  high  places." 

Perhaps  the  most  memorable  passage  in 
Bunyan's  allegory  is  the  fight  with  Apollyon. 
ApoUyon  means  Destroyer.  The  battle  is 
before  and  behind.  You  have  foes  without  in 
league  wdth  foes  within.  Within,  "the  old 
man " — corruption  six  thousand  years  old : 
without,  Satan  in  great  wrath.  And,  like  every 
skilful  general,  Satan  will  strive  hard  to  hold 
the  key  of  his  position  in  your  soul.  The  key 
of  his  position  is  your  besetting  sin.  The 
storm  of  battle  rages  around  that.  Satan  will 
fight  there  to  the  last.  A  town  could  easily  be 
taken  but  for  the  batteries  behind  which  the 
enemy  are  entrenched,  and  from  which  they 
pour  their  deadly  fire ;  so  could  you  easily 
conquer    Mansoul   for  Prince    Emmanuel    but 


THE   FIEEY   TRIAL.  199 

for  these  lusts  in  wliicli  tlie  enemy  is  entrenched. 
There  are  two  ways  in  which  an  enemy  attacks 
— by  stealth  or  in  open  fight.  Satan  attacks 
in  these  two  :  and  he  has  two  names  corres- 
ponding to  liis  two  methods  of  attack — the 
serpent  and  the  roaring  licm, 

(1.)  As  the  serpent,  he  attacks  by  stealth. 
The  serpent's  cunning  emblematizes  his  cunning 
but  family.  He  deceives  the  whole  world.  And 
so  strong  is  he,  that  when  he  fell  he  drew  after 
him  perhaps  a  third  part  of  the  stars  of  heaven 
— so  strong  that  Adam,  in  the  glory  of  his 
original  righteousness,  fell  before  him  in  the 
first  encounter.  As  when  an  enemy  hiding  in 
ambush,  or  tmder  cloud  of  night,  makes  the 
deadly  sortie  :  so  does  Satan  watch  his  oppor- 
tunity. He  has  great  experience.  He  knows 
your  weak  side.  "  He  desires  to  have  you  that 
he  may  sift  you  as  wheat."  Well  he  knows  the 
gate  by  which  easiest  access  is  got  to  your  soul.^ 
He  keeps  no  Sabbath.  His  movements  are 
swift  as  the  wings  of  the  morning.     He  watches 


200  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

till  you  are  asleep,  and  then  tlirows  his  terrible 
coil  around  you. 

In  the  Kaffir  war,  the  foe  liid  themselves  in 
the  jungle,  and  fired  or  threw  the  poisoned  asse- 
gai at  our  troops.  Hid  in  the  bush  we  could 
not  see  them — and  many  a  brave  British  life 
was  ingloriously  thrown  away.  "  But,  suppose 
a  foe  able  to  make  themselves  invisible  :  able  to 
pass  in  a  moment  over  leagues  of  country  :  able 
to  live  without  sleep,  to  march  without  wearying, 
to  work  without  food ;  who  seldom  fought  but  to 
conquer,  and  though  repulsed  often,  were  never 
destroyed  :  who  pitied  none,  spared  none  :  and 
regarding  neither  sex,  nor  innocence,  nor  age, 
dragged  off  their  unhappy  captives  to  horrible 
and  nameless  tortures — who  would  take  the  field 
against  these  ?  Such  an  enemy  has  no  place  in 
the  pages  of  horrid  annals  of  war :  nor  did  ever 
man  find  such  a  foe  in  man.  True,  but  he  has 
such  a  foe  in  Satan."'^' 

(2.)  As  the  roaring  lion,  he  attacks  in  tlie  open 
field.  The  strong  man  armed  defies  the  armies 
of  the  living  God.     How  bold  he  is  when  he 

*  Guthrie's  "Speaking  to  the  Heart,"  p.  135. 


THE   FIERY    TEI.VL.  201 

tempted  even  the  Son  of  God!  He  walketh 
about — lie  ranges  the  forest — seeking  whom  he 
may  devonr — and  turneth  not  away  from  any. 
It  is  said  that  the  hon  will  not  eat  carrion — that 
he  disdains  the  putrid  carcass — that  he  hunts  for 
hving  prey.  The  roaring  lion  does  not  disturb 
those  w^ho  are  rotting  in  sin — he  hunts  for  hving 
souls.  This  is  the  melancholy  explanation  of 
the  fact  that  some  are  not  troubled  by  Satan's 
assaults.  He  sees  that  their  souls  are  dead — 
without  one  spark  of  grace,  without  one  pulse  of 
spiritual  life.  A  beggar  who  has  nothing  to  lose 
is  not  afraid  of  thieves.  A  poor  coal  smack  is 
in  no  danger  from  pirates. 

My  brother !  remember  another  thing.  Satan 
wdll  try  to  cut  off  your  supplies.  A  besieging 
enemy  cuts  the  pipes  which  supply  a  town  with 
water,  and  intercepts  the  wagons  which  sup- 
ply it  with  victuals.  Faith  is  the  pipe  that 
brings  Hving  water  from  the  Fountain  —  the 
means  by  which  all  needful  grace  is  supphed. 
His  fiercest  assaults  are  directed  against  faith. 
It  is  a  fiery  trial.  "  He  wears  out  the  saints  of 
the   Most  High."     "Watch,  and  pray  that   ye 


202  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISEAEL. 

enter  not  into  temptation."  No  sane  man  will 
venture  into  a  sea  where  sharks  are  swimming. 

4.  Croohs  in  your  lot.  "  Wlio  can  make  tliat 
straight  which  God  hath  made  crooked?" 

Perhaps  poverty  is  your  crook  :  and  with  food 
dear  and  labor  scarce,  you  hardly  know  how  to 
provide  bread  for  your  children.  You  must  live 
then,  as  many  have  done  before  you,  on  the 
sixth  chapter  of  Matthew.  Remember  that 
Jesus  was  poor,  and  that  he  can  sympathize 
with  you.     There  is  a  "  wealthy  place  "  beyond. 

"  The  lions  young  may  hungry  be, 
And  they  may  lack  their  food  : 
But  they  that  truly  seek  the  Lord 
Shall  not  lack  any  good." 

Perhaps  broken  health  is  your  crook.  You 
hardly  know  what  it  is  to  be  a  day  well.  God 
wishes  to  wean  you  from  the  world,  and  to  turn 
your  eyes  away  from  its  bright  sights  to  an  en- 
during portion.  Timoth}',  it  would  seem,  was 
veiy  fragile.  Paul  tenderly  counselled  him  in 
regard  to  his  "  often  infirmities  :"  and  a  stricken 
frame  kept  him  more  intently  "  looking  for  the 
blessed   hope."      Once   I   visited   an   old  saint 


THE   FIERY   TRIAL.  203 

ripening  for  glory.  On  my  asking  liow  lie  did, 
be  replied,  "  Wlien  I  am  weary  in  the  chair,  they 
lilt  nie  into  bed ;  when  I  am  weary  in  bed,  they 
lift  me  back  into  the  chair !" 

Perhaps  you  hoxjes  are  hroken,  and  you  pains 
aiid  prayers  seem  vain.  Once  you  threw  your- 
self into  Christ's  work  with  unbounded  hope- 
fulness, and  when  he  sent  showers  of  blessing, 
you  felt  as  if  it  were  the  da^Ti  of  millennial 
glory.  There  has  been  a  reflux,  and  you  say» 
"  Woe  is  me  !  for  I  am  as  when  they  have  gath- 
ered the  summer  fruits,  as  the  grape  gleanings 
of  the  vintage :  there  is  no  cluster  to  eat :  my 
soul  desired  the  first  ripe  fi'uit." 

Or — the  sorest  crook  of  all — you  are  left  alone. 
Bright  faces  that  lit  up  your  home  are  laid 
under  the  sod.  A  Tsdfe  or  husband  is  torn  from 
your  side.  You  cup  of  affliction  is  full.  The 
world  seems  haggard.  Ah,  it  is  a  fiery  trial. 
"  The  green  grass,"  says  Mr  Arnot,  with  charac- 
teristic pathos,  "looks  not  so  hghtsome  when 
those  whom  I  loved  the  most  are  laid  beneath 
it.     Light  is  sweet ;  but  oh,  some  eyes  that  were 


204  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

wont  to  look  upon  it  along  with  me  are  closed 
now."  * 

Sucli  is  the  furnace  in  wliich  tlie  Great  Eefiner 
purifies  his  gold.  Such  is  the  process  by  which 
he  polishes  the  Hving  stones,  and  fits  them  for 
their  places  in  the  heavenly  temple. 

*  "Koots  and  Fruits,"  p.  105, 


THE    TKIUMPH. 

1  Pet.  iv.  12,  13. 

"Beloved,  think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial 
which  is  to  try  you,  as  though  some  strange  thing  happened 
unto  you  :  but  rejoice,  inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of 
Christ's  sufi"erings  ;  that,  when  his  glory  shall  be  revealed, 
ye  may  be  glad  also  with  exceeding  joy." 


'N  blessed  contrast  to  the  four  forms  of 
fiery  trial,  four  causes  of  triumpli  are 
stated  here.  1.  Trial  is  not  a  strange 
^  thing  in  the  Christian  life.  2.  Trial 
is  intended  to  try  —  to  purify  —  the  saints. 
3.  Saints  in  trial  are  partakers  of  Christ's 
sufferings.  4.  When  Christ's  glory  shall  be 
revealed,  the  suffering  saints  shall  be  glad  with 
exceeding  joy. 

(205) 


206  THE   SHEPHEKD    OF  ISEAEL. 

1.  Trial  is  not  a  strange  thing  in  the  Christian 
life. 

It  is  not  a  new  tliiiif^:.  God  had  one  Son 
/  without  sin,  but  lie  never  had  a  Son  without 
suffering.  The  saints'  trials  began  nearly  six 
thousand  years  ago.  Abel  sealed  his  testimony 
wdth  his  blood.  By  it,  he  being  dead,  yet  speak- 
eth.  Noah  was  the  butt  of  a  generation  who 
mocked  at  the  coming  flood.  He  grew  gTay 
preaching  repentance — and  his  preaching  only 
"  condemned  the  world."  Come  down  to  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob.  What  changeful,  suffering 
cm-eers — Abraham's  especially !  Strangers  and 
pilgrims  in  the  earth,  they  found  that  here  there 
is  no  continuing  city,  no  "  place  of  honorable 
quiet  for  the  Emeritus,  no  rest  for  the  Christian 
soldier  except  in  the  grave.  And  their  trials  did 
not  become  lighter  as  they  went  on.  Harder 
and  yet  harder  trials."  Wave  followed  wave 
till  they  reached  the  happy  shore.  Look  at 
Moses,  whose  burden  was  often  like  to  wear  him 
away — David  hunted  as  a  partridge  upon  the 
mountains — the  prophets  weeping  between  the 
porch  and  the  altar!     Did  they  not  suffer  trial  ? 


THE   TEIUMPH.  207 

And  did  not  Christ  forewarn  his  disciples  ol' 
this :  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, 
that  ye  should  not  be  offended.  They  shall  put 
you  out  of  the  synagogue  :  yea,  the  time  cometh 
that  whosoever  killeth  you  will  think  that  he 
doeth  God  service.  ...  In  the  world  ye  shall 
haA^e  tribulation."  (John  xvi.  1,  2,  33.)  Did  not 
Paul  teach  the  same  lesson,  that  the  churches 
might  not  take  offence  at  the  Cross  ?  "  We 
must  through  much  tribulation  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God."  (Acts  xiv.  22.)  The  badge  of 
a  disciple  is  the  Cross.  Popery  has  many 
painted  and  gilded  crosses — its  devotees  love  to 
wear  them  :  every  true  disciple  has  a  real  cross 
to  bear.  The  redeemed  in  glory  came  out  of 
great  tribulation.  By  a  narrow,  steep,  thorny 
path,  they  chmbed  onward  and  upward.  Bro- 
ther !  if  you  are  suffering  fiery  trial,  you  are  in 
glorious  company.* 

*  "The  marcli  of  the  army  of  God  may  be  tracked  by 
their  ashes  left  behind  them.  The  course  of  the  ship  of 
glory  may  be  traced  by  the  white  sheen  of  suffering  left 
on  the  sea  of  time.  Like  as  a  meteor  when  it  flashes  in 
its  glory  leaves  a  blaze  behind  it  for  a  moment,  so  hath 
the  Church  left  behind  it  blazing  fires  of  persecution  and 


208  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

"Behold  what  witnesses  unseen 
Encompass  us  around  ; 
Men,  once  like  us,  with  suffering  tried, 
But  now  with  glory  crowned." 

And  it  is  not  strange.  It  stands  to  reason. 
If  you  were  of  tlie  world,  tlie  world  wordd  love 
you.  But  because  you  are  not  of  the  world, 
but  lie  lias  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  there- 
fore the  world  hates  you.  You  are  a  stran- 
ger in  the  earth — a  bu'd  of  passage  on  your  way 
to  the  Better  Land — and  therefore  you  will  be 
a  sufferer  in  the  earth.  You  are  as  the  lily 
among  thorns,  expect  scratches;  you  are  as 
sheep  among  wolves,  expect  not  only  to  hear 
their  howls  but  to  feel  their  teeth.  Grace  is  a 
rare  exotic,  a  plant  heavenly  fair.  But  it  does 
not  show  its  loveliest  tints,  nor  inhale  its  sweetest 
fragrance,  in  our  cold  atmosphere.  It  needs  the 
serener  skies,  the  balmier  air,  the  never-setting 
sun  of  paradise. 

2.   Trial  is  sent  to  try — to  purify — tlie  saints. 

trouble.  The  path  of  the  just  is  scarred  on  earth's  breast, 
the  monuments  of  the  Church  are  the  sepulchres  of  the 
martyrs.  You  will  not  find  the  saints  of  God  where  you 
do  not  find  the  furnace  burning  round  about  them." — 
Spurgeon. 


THE   TEIUMPH.  209 

Tliere  is  much  dross  in  us,  and  the  fire  of 
affliction  is  needed  to  purge  it  away.  We  are 
so  constituted  that  suffering  is  necessary  to 
purify  us.  Here  we  must  walk  entirely  by  faith. 
We  cannot  tell  lioio  suffering  purifies.  Let  us 
be  satisfied  when  God  tells  us  that  it  is  so.  Let 
us  believe,  that  because  our  Father  has  ordained 
it,  it  is  ordained  in  infinite  love  and  wisdom. 
"  What  I  do,  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou 
shalt  know  hereafter."  A  child  does  not  hke 
to  be  sent  to  school — does  not  see  the  good  of  it 
— and  would  prefer  to  chmb  the  hills  or  gather 
flowers  by  the  brook  :  its  father  says,  "  You 
shall  go," — and  that  settles  it. 

Afihction  is  the  furnace — the  refining  pot — in 
which  he  purifies  his  gold.  Saints  are  his  gold  : 
in  the  furnace  of  affliction  he  makes  the  lus- 
tre of  their  graces  shine  with  peculiar  briUiance. 
"Behold,  I  have  refined  thee,  but  not  with 
silver :  I  have  chosen  thee  in  the  furnace  of 
affliction."  As  the  goldsmith  sits  by  the  fining 
pot,  and  watches  the  molten  gold  till  he  sees  his 
image  reflected  in  it :  so  the  Great  Kefiner 
watches  beside  his  saints  in  their  fiery  trials, 
14 


210  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

until  tlieir  dross  is  removed,  and  liis  full-formed 
image  reflected  in  tliem.  "  When  lie  liath  tried 
me,"  said  Job,  "  I  shall  come  forth  as  gold." 
The  gold  loses  nothing  but  its  dross  in  the  fire. 
Nebuchadnezzar's  fire  burned  nothing  but  the 
bands  that  bound  the  three  holy  children,  and 
the  men  that  cast  them  in. 

There  is  no  teacher  like  sorrow.  Other  things 
being  equal,  the  disciple  who  has  been  longest 
in  the  school  of  affliction  is  most  Christlike. 
In  a  keen  night,  as  the  stars  glance  most  brightly 
in  the  ebon  sky ;  so  do  faith,  love,  lowliness, 
patience,  shine  with  growing  brightness  in  the 
night  of  weeping.  "  Blessed  is  the  man  whom 
thou  chastenest  and  teachest  him  out  of  thy 
law."  By  affliction  God  darkens  the  room  and 
reveals  himself.  Affliction  teaches  lessons  that 
nothing  else  will  teach.  It  reveals  a  Father's 
love.  "  Whom  the  Lord  loveth,  he  chasteneth." 
It  teaches  patience — complete  surrender  to  God, 
dropping  into  his  hand,  and  lying  passive  there. 
"  The  trying  of  your  faith  worketh  patience."  It 
weans  from  the  world.  How  worthless  it  appears 
when  you  are  laid  on  the  sick-bed,  and  hear  the 


THE   TEIUMPH.  211 

rushing  of  the  dark  river !  And  it  burnishes  all 
your  graces.  It  is  said  of  the  sandal-wood  tree, 
that  every  stroke  the  woodman  gives  it  only  draws 
forth  a  breath  of  sweetest  fragrance.  So  every 
trial  draws  forth  the  fragTance  of  grace.  "  Old 
Betty  was  converted  late  in  life,  and  though 
very  poor,  was  very  active.  She  visited  the  sick : 
out  of  her  own  poverty  she  gave  to  those  who 
were  still  poorer,  collected  a  httle  money  from 
others  when  she  could  give  none  of  her  own, 
and  told  many  a  one  of  the  love  of  the  Saviour. 
At  last  she  caught  cold  and  rheumatism,  and 
lay  in  bed  month  after  month,  pain-wom  and 
helpless.  A  good  minister  went  to  see  her,  and 
asked  if,  after  her  active  habits,  she  did  not 
find  the  change  hard  to  bear.  '  No,  sir,  not  at 
all.  When  I  was  well,  I  used  to  hear  the  Lord 
say,  day  by  day,  Betty,  go  here,  Betty,  go 
there  ;  Betty,  do  this,  Betty,  do  that,  and  I 
used  to  do  it  as  well  as  I  could.  And  now  I 
hear  him  say  every  day,  Betty,  lie  stiU  and 
cough ! '  "* 

*  Hamilton's  "Lake  of  Galilee,"  p.  91. 


212  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

"  The  furnace,"  says  Spurgeon,  "  is  very  use- 
ful to  God's  people,  because  they  get  more  ligJit 
there  than  anyivhere  else.  If  you  travel  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Birmingham,  or  in  other  man- 
ufacturing districts,  you  will  be  struck  at  night 
by  the  glare  of  light  which  is  cast  by  all  those 
furnaces.  It  is  labor's  own  honorable  illumin- 
ation. I  believe  there  is  no  place  where  we  can 
learn  so  much,  and  have  so  much  light  cast  upon 
Scripture,  as  we  do  in  the  furnace.  Read  a 
truth  in  tranquillity,  read  it  in  peace,  read  it  in 
prosperity,  and  you  will  not  make  anything  of 
it.  Be  put  inside  the  furnace  (and  nobody 
knows  what  a  bright  blaze  is  there  who  has  not 
been  there),  and  you  will  then  be  able  to  spell 
all  hard  words,  and  understand  more  than  you 
could  without  it.  .  .  .  Trouble  exercises  our 
graces,  and  the  exercise  of  our  graces  tends  to 
make  us  more  comfortable  and  happy.  Where 
showers  fall  most,  there  the  grass  is  greenest. 
I  suppose  the  fogs  and  mists  of  Ireland  make 
it  the  '  Emerald  Isle  : '  and  wherever  you  find 
great  fogs  of  trouble,  and  mists  of  sorrow,  you 
always  find  emerald-green  hearts — full  of  the 


THE   TRIUMPH.  213 

beautiful  verdure  of  the  comfort  and  love  of 
God."^ 

3.  Saints  in  trial  are  partahers  of  Christ's  suf- 
ferings. 

They  suffer  with  him.  They  are  "  crucified 
with  him."  They  "  go  forth  unto  him  without 
the  camp,  bearing  his  reproach."  They  drink 
of  his  cup,  and  are  baptized  with  his  baj^tism. 
Paul  earnestly  desired  to  know  "the  power  of 
his  resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  his  suf- 
ferings, being  made  conformable  unto  his  death." 

This  participation  in  Christ's  suffering  does 
not  refer  to  his  meritorious  sufferings  as  an 
Atonement  for  sin.  These  were  finished  at  once 
and  forever  by  his  sacrifice  upon  the  cross.  He 
bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  upon  the  tree. 
Our  sins  were  piled,  and  crowded,  and  massed 
around  that  accursed  tree — and  he  made  an  end 
of  them.  He  annihilated  them.  He  cried,  "  It 
is  finished."  His  expiatory  sufferings  were  in- 
communicable— they  were  his  o^ti  personal  bur- 
den— they  were  perfect.  They  are  imputed  to 
us — and  we  reap  the  blessed  fruit.  The  sinless 
*  Spurgeon's  "Gems,"  305,  328. 


214  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

was  made  sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  him.  JESUS  ONLY 
is  the  Propitiation — the  sweet-smelling  sacrifice 
— the  eternal  redemption. 

But  as  Christ  suffered  in  his  person,  so  does 
he  suffer  in  his  members.  The  Church  is  his 
body — ^his  second  self.  She  has  a  cup  to  drink 
— a  cross  to  bear.  As  every  part  of  his  literal 
body  suffered,  so  must  every  member  of  his 
spiritual  body.  As  his  back  was  torn  with  the 
scourge,  his  face  covered  with  shame  and  spit- 
ting, his  hands  and  feet  pierced  with  the  nails, 
his  side  with  the  spear ; — so  must  all  his  living 
members  suffer  with  him.  As  he  went  by  the 
cross  to  the  crown,  so  must  we.  As  he  was 
straitened  until  his  baptism  should  be  accom- 
plished, so  must  we.  We  must  drink  into  the 
Spirit  of  the  Cross ; — its  love — its  self-sacrifice. 
Our  life  must  be  moulded  after  his.  The  same 
submission  to  the  Father's  will,  which  said, 
"  The  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall 
I  not  drink  it  ?" — must  reconcile  us  to  our  cup  of 
hourly  sorrows  and  trials.  As  he  died  for  sin, 
we  must  die  to  it.     As  he   was  forever  freed 


THE  TRIUMPH.  215 

fi'om  sin  in  liis  death,  so  must  we  be  forever 
freed  fi'om  it  by  his  death. 

In  Col.  i.  24,  Paul  uses  these  remarkable 
words,  "  Who  now  rejoice  in  my  sufferings  for 
you,  and  fill  up  that  which  is  behind  (the  defi- 
ciencies) of  the  afflictions  of  Christ  in  my  flesh." 
The  Church  has  her  measure — her  cup  —  of 
afflictions  meted  out  to  her.  Paul  means,  "  I 
am  one  with  Christ.  My  sufferings  are  his  suf- 
ferings. As  a  member  of  Christ,  a  certain  share 
of  suffering  is  allotted  to  me.  I  have  suffered 
part  of  it  abeady,  and  in  the  sufferings  I  now 
bear  for  you,  I  am  joyfully  filling  up  the  remain- 
der." 

"Rejoice  inasmuch  as  ye  are  partakers  of 
Christ's  sufferings."  Count  it  an  honor  to  suffer 
reproach,  to  bear  scars  for  him.  His  worst 
things  excel  the  world's  best.  Moses  esteemed 
the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the 
treasui'es  of  Egypt.  He  suffers  with  you.  "  In 
all  their  affliction  he  is  afflicted."  "  When  I 
sigh,"  wrote  Samuel  Kutherford,  from  his  prison 
in  Aberdeen,  "  Christ  sighs !" 

The  story  of  Margaret  M'Lauchlan  and  Mar- 


216  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISKAEL. 

garet  Wilson,  the  oue  an  aged  widow,  tlie  other 
a  tender  maiden  of  eighteen,  will  be  held  in 
everlasting  remembrance.  They  were  sentenced 
by  Claverhouse's  dragoons  to  be  drowned  in  the 
Solway.  At  low  tide  they  were  fastened  to 
stakes  driven  in  the  ooze.  The  aged  widow 
was  placed  farthest  out,  that  she  might  die  first. 
As  the  waters  rose  to  her  lips,  and  her  dying 
struggles  began,  a  heartless  ruffian  asked  Mar- 
garet Wilson,  who  was  standing  in  shallower 
water,  "  What  do  you  think  of  your  friend  now  ?" 
Calmly  she  answered,  "  I  see  Christ  in  one  of 
his  members  suffering  there.  Think  you  that 
we  are  the  sufferers  ?  No,  it  is  Christ  in  us — for 
he  sends  none  a  warfare  on  his  own  charges." 
She  was  plunged  into  the  rising  waters,  and  re- 
ceived the  martyr's  crown. 

One  day,  as  William  Burns  preached  in 
the  streets  of  Montreal,  he  was  roughly  handled 
by  a  popish  crowd.  Some  of  them  threw 
stones,  one  of  which  struck  the  preacher's  face. 
A  party  of  the  93d  Highlanders  rushed  to  the 
rescue,  and  one  asked  in  anxiety,  "  What's  all 
this?"     Mr.  Burns  quietly  wiped  off  the  blood, 


THE   TPJUMPH.  217 

and  said,  with  a  smile,  "  Never  mind  ;  it's  only 
a  little  wound  received  in  tlie  Master's  service!" 
Like  Peter  and  Jolin,  departing  from  the 
presence  of  the  council,  he  rejoiced  that  he  w^as 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  the  name  of 
Jesus. 

4.  When  CJirisfs  glory  shall  be  revealed,  the 
suffering  saints  shall  he  glad  luith  exceeding  joy. 

The  victory  makes  the  soldier  forget  the 
straggles  of  an  arduous  day.  When  the  ship 
enters  the  harbor,  the  sense  of  safety  and  the 
welcome  of  joyful  friends  are  sweeter  after 
the  fearful  storm.  Ah,  how  hght  ^dll  the 
sufferings  of  earth  appear  when  you  look  back 
from  the  glorious  plains  of  heaven !  Do  the 
saints  on  high — even  those  who  had  trial  of 
cruel  mockings  and  scourgings — who  were 
stoned  and  sawn  asunder — now  grudge  their 
utmost  sacrifices?  Well  did  Paul  "reckon 
that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not 
worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  wiiicli 
shall  be  revealed  in  us."  "For  our  hght 
affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh 
for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 


218  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

of  glory."  And  as  effect  is  lieiglitened  by 
contrast,  the  remembrance  of  the  fiery  trial 
will  heighten  the  blessedness  of  heaven.  Its 
songs  will  be  louder  after  the  sorrows  of  earth. 
The  sharper  the  cross,  the  brighter  the  crown. 
No  donbt  an  elect  infant,  taken  home  without 
tasting  the  sorrows  of  the  world,  will  find  heaven 
a  place  of  blessedness.  But  to  the  toil-worn 
laborer  it  is  a  Rest.  As  "  the  sleep  of  a  laboring 
man  is  sweet,"  so  sleep  in  Jesus  is  passing 
sweet  after  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day. 
The  more  galling  the  taunts  of  an  alien  world, 
the  gladder  will  be  your  arrival  at  home.  The 
sorer  the  conflict  with  sin,  the  more  blessed  will 
be  the  eternal  deliverance  from  it.  There  you 
will  sin  no  more.  The  fiercer  the  fight  with 
Satan,  the  more  triumphant  the  shout  of 
"Victory,  victory,  through  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb!"  (Rev.  xii.  11.)  The  more  trying  the 
crooks  in  your  lot,  the  more  perfect  will  be  the 
sense  of  relief  as  you  see  every  crook  made 
straight,  and  every  mystery  plain,  in  the  beatific 
vision  of  God. 

Cheer  up,  fellow-sufferer  !      Hold  on,  hold  on, 


THE   TPJUMPH.  219 

for  a  little.  "  The  trial  of  your  faith  is  much 
more  precious  than  of  gold  that  perisheth, 
though  it  be  tiied  with  fire,  and  shall  be  found 
unto  praise,  and  honor,  and  glory  at  the 
appearing  of  Jesus  Christ."  "  When  his 
glory  shall  be  revealed,  ye  shall  be  glad  with 
exceeding  joy."  The  first  hour  of  heaven 
AviU  make  up  for  all !  ^'Exceeding  joy," — joy 
mthout  ahoy — joy  which  eye  hath  not  seen, 
nor  ear  heard,  nor  heart  conceived — ^joy  ever 
increasing — never-ending  joy — joy  which,  wave 
on  wave,  will  flow  forever  into  the  hearts  of 
the  ransomed. 

One  who  has  lately  gone  from  us,  and  passed 
within  the  veil — an  Enoch  for  close  walking 
with  God,  a  Nathanael  for  simplicity,  a  John 
for  lovingness,  a  Barnabas  for  tenderness,  an 
Epaphras  for  fervent  laboring  in  prayer  (\\ith 
hand  uplifted  like  Moses'  rod),  and  a  Boanerges 
for  unflinching  boldness  in  rebuking  sin — John 
Milne  of  Perth — speaking  of  this  "  exceeding 
joy,"  says,  "  They  are  singing  and  harping  with 
all  their  might.  They  are  singing  in  unison, 
and  they  are  singing  universally.      No   hands 


220  THE   SHEPHEBD   OF  ISKAEL. 

witliout  a  liarp,  no  lips  without  a  song  :  and 
no  harp  is  unstrung,  no  lips  are  silent  there. 
Could  3^ou  approach  the  gate,  you  would  hear 
sweetest  music.  They  are  feasting,  they  are 
rejoicing.  The  work  is  done,  the  fight  is  over, 
their  wanderings  are  ended,  they  are  all  at 
home.  Not  one  is  lost,  not  one  is  wanting. 
There  never  was  joy  like  this.  As  they  look 
haclc,  and  think  what  they  were  :  look  down,  and 
think  what,  but  for  grace,  they  must  have  been  : 
look  around,  and  see  where  they  are :  look 
forward,  and  think  what  they  shall  forever  be, 
— ^it  is  joy,  joy,  joy !  Each  kindles  and  stirs 
up  the  other.  '  Oh,  that  will  be  joyful,  joyful, 
joyful,  when  we  meet  to  part  no  more.'  " 

"Beyond  tlie  smiling  and  tlie  weeping, 

Beyond  tlie  waking  and  tlie  sleeping, 

Beyond  the  sowing  and  the  reaping, 

I  shall  be  soon. 

"  Beyond  the  blooming  and  the  fading. 
Beyond  the  shining  and  the  shading, 
Beyond  the  hoping  and  the  dreading, 
I  shall  be  soon. 

"Beyond  the  gathering  and  the  strowing, 
Beyond  the  ebbing  and  the  flowing, 
Beyond  the  coming  and  the  going, 
I  shall  be  soon. 


THE  TRIUMPH.  221 

"Beyond  the  parting  and  the  meeting, 
Beyond  the  farewell  and  the  greeting, 
Beyond  this  pulse's  fever-beating, 

I  shall  be  soon." — Dr.  Bonae. 

"  If  we  suffer,  we  shall  also  reign  with  liim." 
riie  other  side  is,  "  i/*  ice  deny  Min,  he  also  to  ill 
deny  usT  My  dear  friend,  make  yonr  choice 
to-day.  The  alternatives  are  Jiery  trial — and 
exceeding  joy  :  or  ease — and  everlasting  shame  ; 
at  Christ's  appearing.  Do  you  shrink  from 
trial?  You  cannot  escape  it  in  any  case. 
"The  way  of  transgressors  is  hard.'"  Do  you 
remember  the  man  who  denied  Christ  for  fear 
of  being  burned  at  Smithfield,  and  was  after- 
wards burned  by  his  own  house  taking  fire  ?  If 
you  take  Christ's  cross,  he  wiU  help  you  to 
bear  it,  and  when  you  are  weary,  he  will  carry 
both  yourself  and  your  cross.  Perhaps  you  are 
ill  at  ease.  Perhaps  conscience  often  stings 
you  as  it  stung  Colonel  Gardiner  in  his  days  of 
sin,  when,  in  a  brilliant  assembly,  seeing  a  dog 
in  the  room,  he  groaned,  "  I  wish  I  were  that 
dog !"  Perhaps  you  are  easy.  But  what  of 
ease — when  your  days  are  numbered — and  the 
sword  of  God  hangs  over  your  head — and  you 


222  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

are  walking  on  a  rotten  covering  over  tlie 
month  of  liell?  "A  sworcl,  a  sword  is  sharp- 
ened, and  also  furbished  :  it  is  sharpened  to 
make  a  sore  slaughter,  it  is  furbished  that  it 
may  glitter :  should  we  then  make  mirth  ? " 
Sin  at  last  bites  hke  a  serpent,  and  stings 
like  an  adder.  The  moments  of  sin  expand 
into  ages  of  punishment.  Awake,  thou  that 
sleepest.  Awake — else  the  glorious  prize  will 
be  beyond  your  reach.  Awake — else  the  day 
of  grace  will  be  past,  and  death  will  leave 
you  to  the  vultures  of  remorse  and  despair. 


^e^^e 


XI 


THE    WONDERS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

PsAiiM  cxix.  129. 
"Thy  testimonies  are  wonderful." 

CHART  wliich  guides  the  navigator 
throiigli  tlie  difficulties  of  tlie  north- 
ern passage  is  considered  a  precious 
%  contribution  to  modern  science.  Or, 
if  you  were  setting  out  on  a  journey  across  a 
wilderness  of  sand  where  a  thousand  caravans 
had  perished,  and  you  got  a  sure  map  of  the 
course  which  the  few  successful  adventurers  had 
taken,  how  highly  would  you  prize  it,  and  how 
carefully  would  you  follow  its  directions ! 

The  Bible  is  such  a  chart,  such  a  map  ; — the 
Bible,  which  is  not  prized  by  many  as  it  ought 

(223) 


224  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

to  be,  nor  treasured  in  the  memory,  nor  prac- 
tised in  tlie  life, — tlie  Bible,  wliicli  in  tbe  cot- 
tages of  tlie  poor  is  often  allowed  to  lie  bedusted 
on  tlie  slielf,  and  in  tlie  mansions  of  the  rich  is 
found,  no  doubt,  on  the  dra^\'ing-room  table, 
beautifully  bound  and  gilt,  but  with  clasp  often 
unfastened,  from  one  end  of  the  week  to  the 
other.  If  life  is  a  voyage,  the  Bible  is  the  chart 
which  describes  the  course, — which  tells  of  every 
crosstide  and  storm,  which  plants  a  beacon-light 
on  every  sunk  rock  and  quicksand.  If  life  is  a 
journey,  the  Bible  is  a  lamp  to  the  feet  and  a 
Hgiit  to  the  path.  And  not  only  does  this  Lamp 
Divine  point  out  the  path,  but  it  shows  the  foot- 
marks of  a  cloud  of  witnesses  who  have  trodden 
it,  especially  the  footmarks  of  the  Forerunner  • 
and,  along  the  path,  it  tells  of  many  a  spot,  like 
Ehm,  where  the  pilgrim  may  rest  and  enjoy 
blessed  foretastes  of  heaven. 

A  book  is  wonderful  if  its  author  is  possessed 
of  wonderful  wisdom,  if  its  subject  is  of  ever- 
lasting importance,  and  if  its  aim  is  the  eternal 
good  of  men.  The  Bible  has  God  himself  for 
its  Author,  it  treats  of  the  things  which  belong 


THE   WONDERS   OF  THE   BIBLE.  225 

to  oiu"  peace,  and  its  aim  is  to  make  us  wise 
unto  salvation.  How  wonderful  then  must  it  be 
acknowledged  to  be  !  Let  us  look  at  five  of  its 
wonders : 

1.  Its  authority.  A  human  author  must  speak 
modestly,  and  reason  on  principles  common  to 
him  and  his  readers.  Every  other  book  you 
may  set  aside  if  you  do  not  agree  with  it.  Not 
so  with  the  Bible.  It  prefaces  every  statement 
with  a  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord."  It  comes  down 
to  us  like  Moses  from  the  mount,  bearing  the 
tables  of  the  testimony.  It  challenges  our  rev- 
erence. If  we  refuse  its  words,  we  do  it  at  our 
peril.  When  we  open  the  Bible,  we  must  do 
like  Elijah  when  he  heard  the  still,  small  voice, 
and  wrapped  his  face  in  his  mantle,  recognizing 
it  to  be  the  voice  of  God.  We  must  say  hke  the 
child  Samuel,  "  Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant 
heareth."  The  God  who  could  speak  in  thunder 
speaks  in  the  Bible. 

Each  of  the  sacred  wiiters  retains  his  peculiar 

individuality ;   and  yet    God   speaks    by  him. 

There  is  as  much  of  Moses  shining  through  the 

Pentateuch  as  there  is  of  Macaulay  in  the  His- 

15 


226  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

tory  of  England.  David  retains  liis  poetic 
ardors,  Isaiali  liis  sublimity,  Jeremiah  his  weep- 
ing tenderness,  Ezekiel  his  weird  grandeur,  John 
his  love,  Peter  his  boldness,  Paul  his  insight  into 
the  mysteries  of  God ;  and  yet  it  is  God  that 
foretells  in  the  prophecies,  that  narrates  in  the 
Gospels,  that  comforts  in  the  promises,  that  in- 
vites in    the    invitations."^      Hence  Jesus  said, 


*  "The  Bible  is  the  writing  of  the  living  God.  Each 
letter  was  penned  wdth  an  Almighty  finger  :  each  word 
in  it  dropxDed  fi'om  the  everlasting  lips  :  each  sentence 
was  dictated  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Albeit  that  Moses  was 
employed  to  write  his  histories  -with  his  fiery  pen  ;  God 
guided  that  pen.  It  may  be  that  David  touched  his  harp, 
and  let  sweet  psalms  of  melody  drop  from  his  fingers  ; 
but  God  moved  his  hands  over  the  living  strings  of  his 
golden  harp.  Solomon  sang  canticles  of  love,  and  gave 
forth  words  of  consummate  wisdom  :  but  God  directed 
his  lips,  and  made  the  preacher  eloquent.  If  I  foUow 
the  thundering  Nahum,  when  his  horses  plough  the  waters  : 
or  Habakkuk,  when  he  sees  the  tents  of  Cushan  in  afB.ic- 
tion  :  if  I  read  Malachi,  when  the  earth  is  burning  like  an 
oven  :  if  I  turn  to  the  smooth  page  of  John,  who  tells  of 
love  :  or  the  rugged  chapters  of  Peter,  who  speaks  of  fire 
devouring  God's  enemies  :  if  I  turn  to  Jude,  who  launches 
forth  anathemas  upon  the  foes  of  God,  everywhere  I  find 
God  speaking  :  it  is  God's  voice,  not  man's  :  the  words 
are  God's  words  :  the  words  of  the  Eternal,  the  Invisible, 
the  Almighty,  the  Jehovah  of  ages.  This  Bible  is  God's 
Bible  ;  and  when  I  see  it,  I  seem  to  hear  a  voice  spring- 


THE  WONDEKS   OF  THE  BIBLE.  227 

"  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets, 
neither  will  they  be  persuaded  if  one  rose  from 
the  dead."  Although  a  spirit  from  the  other 
world,  cognizant  of  all  that  is  glorious  in  hea- 
ven, or  all  that  is  terrible  in  hell,  should  wing 
his  way  to  us,  and  preach  the  gospel  with  all 
the  superhuman  earnestness  which  his  actual 
experience  of  eternity  would  inspire  ; — even  this 
appalling  visitant  could  add  nothing  to  the  in- 
trinsic authority  of  the  Bible.  He  might  startle 
men ;  but  he  could  add  nothing  to  the  majesty 
and  momentousness  of  the  simple  Word  of  God. 

2.  Its  light.  The  natural  world  was  a  dark 
chaos,  until  God  made  the  sun  to  shine  upon  it : 
and  the  moral  world  was  also  a  dark  chaos,  until 
God  shone  upon  it  with  the  hght  of  revelation. 

Conceive  the  state  of  the  world  without  the 
sun.  Man  could  not  live  upon  it.  Flowers  and 
fruits  could  not  grow  upon  it.  There  would  be 
no  smihng  summers  nor  golden  harvests.  Per- 
petual night  would  cover  it  as  with   a  funeral 

ing  up  from  it,  saying  :  '  I  am  the  Book  of  God  :  man, 
read  me  :  I  am  God's  writing  :  study  my  page,  for  I  was 
penned  by  God ;  love  me,  for  he  is  my  author,  and  you 
will  see  him  visible, and  manifest  everywhere.'  " — Spurgeon. 


2^8  THE  SHEPHERD  OF  ISRAEL. 

pall,  and  wraj?  it  in  eternal  gloom  !  Behold  an 
emblem  of  the  moral  world  without  the  Bible. 
How  deplorably  should  we  grope  like  the  blind 
for  the  wall !  There  is  no  doubt  a  rudimeutal 
theology  in  the  natural  conscience  ;  and  this 
great  universe  throughout  speaks  of  a  Creator  ; 
but  sin  has  entered  into  the  ivorld ;  and  neither 
conscience  nor  the  works  of  creation  can  cast 
one  ray  of  H^t  upon  the  question,  How  shall 
man  be  just  with  God  ?  "  The  world  by  wisdom 
knew  not  God."  -  The  brow  of  Plato  grew  sad 
under  the  infinite  vault  that  had  a  pale,  icy  radi- 
ance, but  no  sun ;  and  the  speculations  of  the 
wisest  heathens  are  but  so  many  floating  signals 
of  distress,  to  show  the  darkness  in  which  they 
sank. 

The  Bible  is  the  sun  in  the  spiritual  firma- 
ment. Its  light  is  like  the  light  of  the  sun.  It 
comes  from  heaven.  It  is  warm  and  life-giving. 
It  is  never  exhausted.  There  is  only  one  sun ; 
and  there  is  only  one  Bible.  A  candle  is  a  good 
thing,  but  a  million  candles  would  be  a  poor 
substitute  for  the  sun.  We  do  not  disparage 
the  rush-lights  of  human  reason ;    but  aU  its 


THE   WONDERS   OF   THE   BIBLE.  229 

guesses  and  speculations  are  a  poor  substitute 
for  the  Bible. 

How  wonderful  the  light  which  the  Bible  casts 
upon  every  subject,  the  knowledge  of  which  is 
indispensable  to  salvation !  A  glory  rests  on  its 
.pages.  Christ  is  the  Alpha  and  the  Omega  of  it. 
Euin  by  the  fall,  redemption  by  Christ,  regener- 
ation by  the  Spirit,  are  here  printed  in  sunbeams. 
Search  it  fi'om  beginning  to  end.  Search  its  40 
authors,  its  66  books,  its  1189  chapters,  its 
31,173  verses ;  read  its  histories,  its  biogra- 
phies, its  psalms  containing  the  cardiphonia  of 
the  Church  through  all  time ;  read  its  prophe- 
cies, its  Gospels,  its  epistles :  every  word  you 
read  is  a  ray  from  the  excellent  glory.  And  if  it 
would  be  true  that  light  had  come  into  the 
world,  although  God  had  revealed  no  other  truth 
than  this,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son 
clean  seth  us  from  all  sin ;"  with  what  refulgence 
of  light  are  we  surrounded  as  the  case  stands, 
and  how  fearful  will  be  the  condemnation  of 
those  who  love  the  darkness  rather  than  light, 
because  thek  deeds  are  evil ! 

3.  Its  poiuer.     "  Wliere  the  word  of  a  king  is, 


230  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEALL. 

there  is  power."  "  Is  not  my  "Word  like  a  fire, 
saitli  the  Lord,  and  like  a  hammer  that  breaketh 
the  rock  in  pieces?"  Eighteen  hundred  years 
ago,  this  word,  like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, 
was  planted  in  the  soil  of  Judea.  It  grew,  and 
became  a  great  spreading  tree.  It  made  con- 
verts in  Antioch  and  Ephesus — in  learned 
Athens,  gorgeous  C  orinth,  proud  Eome.  It  will 
go  on  in  its  triumphant  march  till  it  conquer  the 
world.  Its  power  is  wonderful.  "When  wielded 
by  the  Spirit's  arm,  it  is  "  sharper  than  a  two- 
edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
asunder  of  soul  and  spirit."  Hence  the  preacher 
of  the  Word  occupies  a  wholly  different  position 
from  the  mere  reasoner  or  disputant  of  the  world. 

This  is  a  convincing  poAver.  Christ  only  spoke 
a  word  at  the  weU,  and  the  woman  of  Samaria 
cried,  "  He  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did." 
All  the  sins  of  her  life  passed  in  pale  procession 
before  her  conscience's  eye. 

It  is  an  aivahening  power; — so  that  he  who 
aforetime  was  fast  asleep  and  profoundly  indif- 
ferent about  Divine  things,  now  starts  up  to 
cry,  "  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  " 


THE   WONI>ERS   OF   THE   BIBLE.  231 

It  is  a  draiolng  power.  The  iron  gate  of  tlie 
heart  is  unbarred,  and  opens  to  receive  the 
King  of  glory. 

It  is  a  life-giving  power  ; — so  that  by  a  single 
word,  a  principle  of  life  is  implanted  in  the  soul 
which  makes  it  a  new  creature — a  principle 
which  all  the  strength  of  corruption  and  all  the 
craft  of  Satan  cannot  extinguish — a  principle 
which  will  grow,  till  at  last,  through  great  tribu- 
lation, the  pilgrim  reaches  Mount  Zion,  the 
city  of  the  liying  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem. 
This  point  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  the 
experience  of  the  Moravian  missionaries  in 
Greenland.  They  tried  to  civilize  the  people 
before  giving  them  the  gospel.  They  continued 
this  plan  for  twenty  years.  No  sensible  ef- 
fect followed.  One  day,  as  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries was  writing  a  fair  copy  of  a  translation 
of  one  of  the  Gospels,  a  crowd  of  natives  gath- 
ered around  him  anxious  to  know  the  contents 
of  the  book.  He  read  to  them  the  history  of 
Christ's  sufferings  and  death.  "  How  was  that  ?" 
said  one  of  the  savages,  stepping  up  to  the  table, 
with  his  voice  trembling  with  emotion.     "  How 


232  THE   SHEPHERD    OF  ISRAEL. 

was  tliat,  tell  me  once  more,  for  I  too  would  ftiin 
be  sayecl  ?  "  "  These  words,"  writes  the  mis- 
sionary, "  the  like  of  which  I  had  never  heard 
from  a  Greenlander,  pierced  my  very  soul ;  and, 
with  tears  in  my  eyes,  I  related  to  them  the 
whole  history  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the 
counsel  of  God  for  our  salvation.  The  man 
who  put  the  question  was  the  first-fi'uits  of 
Greenland  to  Christ." 

4.  Its  depth.  "  Thy  thoughts  are  very  deep." 
You  can  extract  the  pith  of  any  human  book  by 
reading  it  once  or  twice.  After  one  or  two 
perusals,  you  hardly  think  of  reading  it  again. 
Even  the  profoundest  book,  where  you  feel  at 
every  step  in  contact  with  a  master  mind,  may 
be  mastered  by  severe  and  strenuous  application. 
But  the  more  you  study  the  Bible,  the  more  do 
you  see  its  amazing  depths,  the  more  do  you 
discover  abysses  beyond  sounding  in  the  oceau 
of  Divine  truth.  The  more  deeply  you  study, 
the  more  readily  will  you  join  in  Agur's  con- 
fession, "Surely  I  am  more  brutish  than  any 
man,  and  have  not  the  imderstanding  of  a  man  : 
I  neither  learned  wisdom,  nor  have  the  knowledge 


THE    WONDERS   OF   THE   BIBLE.  Zdd 

of  the  holy."  Yon  will  ever  descry  new  wonders, 
new^  depths  which  the  angels  desire  to  look  into, 
new  glories,  greater  than  ever  Adam  beheld  in 
Paradise.  Romaine  tells  that  after  studying  the 
Bible  on  his  knees  for  forty  years,  he  found  him- 
seK  a  babe  at  the  end. 

5.  Its  universal  adaptation.  Some  books  are 
suited  only  to  a  particular  age  ;  and  when  that 
is  past,  they  are  obsolete.  Some,  that  please  in 
childhood,  are  insipid  in  riper  years.  Some 
are  called  forth  by  special  circumstances,  and 
are  afterwards  laid  on  the  sheK  to  rest.  But 
the  Bible  is  adapted  to  all,  everywhere,  in  every 
stage  of  life,  and  in  every  age  of  the  world."     It 

*  I  gladly  enrich  my  page  witli  tlie  following  passage 
from  tlie  Eev.  J.  Oswald  Dykes'  exquisite  monogram,  "On 
the  Written  Word,"  pp.  33,  34:  "As  in  a  wide  and  varied 
country,  where  hills  rise  from  the  champaign  and  woods 
diversify  the  open  field ;  in  which  there  grow,  not  only 
fruits  for  food,  but  flowers  too  of  scent  and  beauty  ;  where 
you  may  lose  yourseK  in  nooks  of  greenery  or  breathe  the 
cool  breezes  on  the  heath,  loiter  if  you  will  by  snug  lane 
sides  and  in  the  meadow  by  the  brook,  or  from  the  height 
survey  far  reaches  of  the  land,  till  in  the  blue  you  catch 
the  gleam  of  a  remoter  sea  :  so  may  one  roam  the  pages 
of  this  book.  Long  tracts  of  narrative  are  broken  by  bits 
of  poetic  elevation  ;  some  is  bare  and  some  is  luscious ; 
from  the  homely  fields  where  Euth  gleans,  we  sweep  into 


234  THE   SHEPHEKD    OF   ISRAEL. 

deliglits  us  in  cliildliood ;  and  it  equally  delights 
us  wlien  gray  hairs  find  us  on  the  verge  of  the 
tomb.  It  never  grows  old.  Those  who  embrace 
it  are  never  behind  the  age.  You  may  pass 
with  this  wondrous  book  from  Europe  to  AMca, 
from  Paris  to  Pekin,  from  Ethiopia  to  Green- 
land, from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Southern  Sea : 
among  all  these  peoples  it  supplies  the  want 
felt  by  every  soul,  and  in  its  adaptation  to  them 
all  you  find  a  new  fulfilment  of  Paul's  words, 


Ezekiel's  rapt  vision  of  unearthly  tilings ;  we  moralize 
with  Solomon  and  argne  with  St.  Paul ;  pictures  of  terror 
and  of  peace  alternate  ;  there  is  the  national  l^T-'ic,  the 
battle-song,  and  the  marriage  ode  ;  a  drama  like  that  of 
Job,  which  searches  the  mysteries  of  life  and  death,  and 
letters  familiar  as  those  of  St.  John  to  Gaius  and  the  elect 
lady ;  hymns,  prayers,  speeches,  sermons,  of&cial  paj^ers, 
threnodies,  pastorals,  encyclical  letters  ;  all  forms  of  written 
language  which  reflect  men's  parti-colored  life,  whether  in 
nomad's  tent,  or  city  palaces,  or  the  temple  of  a  nation's 
faith,  are  turned  here  into  vehicles  for  the  heavenly  Word, 
which  God  is  to  quicken  in  the  hearts  of  men. — Eastern 
and  Western  thought  meet  only  in  this  volume.  ...  In 
a  variety  so  rich  as  this,  each  man  finds  his  portion.  Young 
Christians  rush  along  the  ardent  linos  of  St.  Paul ;  but  in 
many  a  corner  of  the  Psalms  the  devout  afflicted  soul  will 
nestle,  pressing  sweetness  from  each  tender  word. — The 
Oriental  luxuriates  in  the  sensuousness  of  the  song  and  in 
imagery  familiar  to   every  Semitic  tongue  ;   while  Western 


THE   WONDEES   OF   THE  BIBLE.  235 

"Where  there  is  neither  Greek  nor  Jew,  cir- 
cunicision  nor  uncircumcision,  barbarian,  Scyth- 
ian, bond,  nor  free  :  but  Christ  is  all  and  in  all." 
The  soul  of  the  negro  slave  receives  fi'om  it  the 
same  impression  as  did  the  soul  of  Isaac  New- 
ton. The  lofty  intelligence  of  the  one  and  the 
stupidity  of  the  other  have  at  least  one  great 
thought  in  common.  The  Bible  reveals  the 
cross ;  and  the  cross  illumines  all.  "  Thy  tes- 
timonies are  wonderful." 


Christendom  has  built  up  its  system  on  the  logic  of  apostles. 
To  plain  readers  the  main  di'ift  lies  on  the  surface  not  to  be 
overlooked  ;  but  scientific  commentators  have  work  enough 
to  do  to  fetch  side-hghts  from  every  part  of  human  know- 
ledge to  Hght  up  obscure  texts, — as  well  as  to  trace  through- 
out the  whole  its  unity  of  plan  and  the  evolution  of 
doctrine  ;  while  profounder  students  still  detect  endless 
undercurrents  of  thought,  hints  which  point  out  into  the 
unrevealed,  and  peaks  of  mystical  outlook  fi-om  which  may 
be  descried  an  ocean  of  divine  truth  stretching  round  as  yet 
by  us  unvisitable.  Why  should  not  God's  Book  be  for  all 
God's  children?  Is  he  not  rich  enough,  and  his  truth  large 
enough,  and  human  speech  plastic  enough?  Blessed  be 
God  that  his  Word  has  been  made  to  trickle  through  so 
many  runnels,  so"  that  it  may  the  more  easily  enter  and  fill 
the  fuller  any  soul  whom  he  hath  made  !  Blessed  be  God 
that  his  Book  is  of  all  books  the  most  marvellously  all-sided, 
the  most  universally  attractive,  and  the  most  intensely 
human  !" 


236  THE   SHEPHERD    OF   ISEAEL. 

We  close  by  indicating  tliree  jxractical  tises  : 
1st.  Study  the  Bible  daily.  Eeacl  it  early  in 
the  morning.  It  was  not  at  nine  o'clock  in  tlie 
evening  that  Israel  gathered  the  manna.  No 
one  breakfasts  at  that  hour.  Head  it  all  through. 
When  I  receive  a  letter  from  a  friend,  I  read  it 
from  beginning  to  end.  Eead  it  as  a  wife  reads 
a  letter  from  her  husband.  Look  at  the  matter 
historically,  and  you  will  find  that  the  Bible 
has  been  the  vade  mecum,  the  counsellor,  the 
delight  of  saints  in  all  ages.  "  Oh,  sir,  what  are 
you  doing,"  wTites  Romaine  to  a  young  friend, 
"  that  other  books  are  so  much  read,  and  the 
Bible  so  neglected  ?  I  saw  my  folly  twenty-two 
years  ago,  and  have  since  studied  little  else. 
You  can't  read  it  too  much.  Wear  it  out  in 
reading  r 

2d.  Pray  for  tlie  Spirit  to  grave  it  on  yonr 
heart  tuitJi  a  pen  of  iron.  When  he  comes,  the 
Bible  becomes  a  new  book,  and  carries  its  own 
evidence  along  with  it.  Until  he  comes  it  is  a 
sealed  book.  Every  time  you  open  the  Bible 
say,  "  Open  thou  mine  eyes  that  I  may  behold 
wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law !" 


THE   WONDERS   OF   THE   BIBLE.  237 


3d.  Practise  it  daily.  Tlie  way  to  see  aright 
is  to  do  aright.  Follow  this  Hght  and  it  will 
guide  to  heaven. 

"Yon  cottager,  who  weaves  at  her  own  door, 
Pillows  and  bobbins  all  her  little  store  : 
Content,  though  mean,  and  cheerful  if  not  gay. 
Shuffling  her  threads  about  the  Hvelong  day  ; 
Just  earns  a  scanty  pittance,  and  at  night 
Lies  down  secure,  her  heart  and  pocket  light ; 
She,  for  her  humble  sphere  by  nature  fit, 
Has  little  understanding  and  no  wit. 
Receives  no  praise  :  but,  though  her  lot  be  such 
(Toilsome  and  indigent),  she  renders  much  ; 
Just  knows  and  knows  no  more  her  Bible  true, 
A  truth  the  brilliant  Frenchman  never  knew, 
And  in  that  charter  reads  with  sparkling  eyes 
Her  title  to  a  treasure  in  the  skies." 


XII 


TAKE    HEED    HOW    YE    HEAR. 

Luke  viii.  18. 
"Take  heed  therefore  how  ye  hear." 

'N  the  parish  of  Ferintosh  in  Ross-shire, 
there  lived  in  the  last  age  a  very  holy 
minister  named  Charles  Calder.  He 
^'  sowed  precious  seed  there  for  thirty- 
eight  years.  He  walked  with  God,  and  God 
took  him  in  the  year  1812.  His  memory  is  still 
fragrant  in  Eoss-shire  and  beyond  it.  Let  me 
tell  yon  of  a  good  old  man,  who  was  long  one  of 
his  hearers. 

William  Tolmie  was  the  beadle  in  the  parish. 
He  was  an  earnest  hearer  of  the  Word.     He  wap 
accustomed  to  hear  for   eternity.     Even  in  hip 
(238) 


TAKE   HEED   HOW  YE   HEAK.  239 

old  age,  his  venerable  figure  was  always  seen  on 
the  pulpit  stairs.  The  bent  form,  the  long  white 
locks,  the  antique  costume,  and  the  solemn  look 
caught  the  eye.  It  was  once  the  writer's 
privilege  to  preach  in  the  Burn  of  Ferintosh. 
The  Burn  is  a  hallowed  spot.  It  is  shaped  like 
a  vast  amphitheatre.  The  congregation  assem- 
ble there  on  the  Communion  Sabbath.  As 
many  as  ten  and  even  fifteen  thousand  have 
often  assembled  there.  The  tables  are  spread 
in  the  centre,  and  God's  children  gather  round 
and  partake  of  the  sacred  feast.  What  days  of 
power  there  have  been  in  that  spot!  How 
many  sinners  have  been  converted  there,  and 
how  many  saints  have  there  seen  the  King  in 
his  beauty,  and  the  land  that  is  very  far 
off! 

After  the  sermon,  "William  came  up  and  said, 
"  You  reminded  me  of  what  I  heard  from  Mr. 
C alder  nine  and  thirty  years  ago."  "What 
was  that?"  said  the  writer,  "  Well,"  said  he,  in 
slow,  solemn  tones,  "the  last  day  he  stood  in 
yon  pulpit,  as  he  closed  his  sermon,  he  looked 
round  the    congregation,  and  said,  'I  have  an 


240  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

impression,  either  that  I  am  speaking  to-day  or 
some  of  yon  hearing  for  the  last  time ;  and 
before  we  part  for  ever,  I  shall  call  five  great 
witnesses  to  avonch  that  I  have  declared  nnto 
yon  the  whole  connsel  of  God.  The  first  is  God 
the  Father,  the  omniscient  and  heart-searching 
God.  I  call  him  to  witness  that  I  have  set 
before  yon  life  and  death.  The  second  is  God 
the  Son.  I  call  him  to  witness  that  he  himself 
\  has  been  the  burden  of  my  preaching  during 
these  thirty-eight  years.  The  third  is  God  the 
Holy  Spirit.  I  call  him  to  witness  that  I  have 
set  before  you  the  nature,  marks,  and  fi'uits  of 
his  work,  and  the  necessity  of  the  new  birth. 
The  fourth  great  witness  is  the  Bible.  And  the 
fifth  is  the  company  of  the  elect  angels,  who  are 
now  waiting  to  rejoice  over  your  conversion. 
And  I  call  your  own  consciences — I  call  the 
stones  and  timbers  of  this  house  to  witness,  that 
I  have  not  shunned  to  declare  unto  you  the 
whole  counsel  of  God !  '  If  any  man  love  not 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema 
Maranatha.'  Then,"  said  William  (whose  eyes 
were   full  with  the  memory  of  the  scene), "  he 


TAKE  HEED  HOW  YE  HEAE.        241 

closed  the  Bible,  and  came  dovm  tlie  pulpit 
stau's,  and  never  went  up." 

Dear  young  friends,  would  you  not  like  to  be 
such  liearers  as  William  Tolmie  ?  We  have  few 
such.  He  sat  like  Mary  at  Jesus'  feet,  and 
hearkened  to  his  word.  He  kept  it  in  a  sancti- 
fied memory.  He  remembered  it  as  long  as  he 
lived. 

The  object  of  tJiis  chapter  is  to  teach  you  to  do 
liheioise. 

There  are  three  bad  classes  of  hearers  now, 
— ^just  as  there  were  in  Jesus'  day — wayside 
hearers,  stony-ground  hearers,  and  thorny- 
ground  hearers — and  only  one  good  class. 
Three  bad  classes  to  one  good.  "  Take  heed 
therefore  how  ye  hear." 

This  subject  is  very  seasonable  in  times  of 
reYival.  One  mark  of  revival  is  that  people 
hear  then  with  an  earnestness  which  they  never 
knew  before.  They  flock  to  the  house  of  God, 
and  drink  in  the  Word  as  thirsty  fields  drink 
the  falling  rain.  Multitudes  of  young  persons 
like  you,  have  begun  to  hear  in  this  way  within 
the  last  few  years.  Perhaps  some  of  your  com- 
16 


242  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

panions  are  of  the  number.  Tliey  Lave  fonud 
Jesns.  You  saw  their  joy  when  they  found, 
him.  You  remember  with  what  ghxdness  they 
sang  from  overflowing  hearts  : 

"Happy  day,  happy  day, 
When  Jesus  washed  my  sins  away  : 
He  taught  me  how  to  watch  and  pray, 
And  live  rejoicing  every  day  : 
Happy  day,  happy  day. 
When  Jesus  washed  my  sins  away  !" 

It  is  a  solemn  thing  to  Kve  through  a  time  of 
revival  For  several  years  the  Holy  Spirit  has, 
at  intervals,  been  working  with  unwonted  power 
in  our  land.  On  many  spots  showers  of  bless- 
ing have  fallen.  We  may  never  see  such  years 
again. 

The  question.  How  is  the  Word  to  be  read 
and  heard,  that  it  may  become  effectual  to 
salvation,  is  answered  in  the  Shorter  Catechism 
as  follows :  "  That  the  Word  may  become 
effectual  to  salvation,  we  must  attend  thereunto 
with  diligence,  preparation,  and  prayer  :  receive 
it  with  faith  and  love,  lay  it  up  in  our  hearts, 
and  practise  it  in  our  lives." 

What  a  beautiful  photograph  of  the  way  in 


TAICE   HEED   HOW  YE   HEAR.  243 

wliicli  men  hear  tlie  Word  in  times  of  awak- 
ening! Dear  young  friends,  you  have  seen 
every  line  of  it  verified.  Let  us  examine  it 
carefully.  Thou  who  didst  open  Lydia's  heart, 
open  the  hearts  of  the  writer  and  the  reader ! 

I.  We  must  hear  with  diligence,  or  earnestness  : 
1.  Because  God  is  the  speaker.  The  God  who 
made  you,  who  holds  your  breath  in  his  hand,- 
who  will  one  day  be  your  Judge,  speaks  to  you 
in  the  gospel.  The  still,  small  voice  you  hear 
is  God's.  If  you  would  listen  earnestly  to  some 
great  one  of  the  earth,  and  reckon  it  condescen- 
sion in  him  to  speak  to  you,  how  much  more 
earnestly  should  you  listen  to  the  great  God ! 
"  See  that  ye  refuse  not  him  that  speaketh  :  for 
if  they  escaped  not  who  refused  him  that  spake 
on  earth,  much  more  shall  not  we  escape  if  we 
turn  away  from  him  that  speaketh  from  heaven." 
"  O  earth,  earth,  earth,  hear  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  !  "  Ministers  are  but  the  voice.  God  is 
the  speaker.  Ehjah  wrapped  his  face  in  his 
mantle  when  he  heard  God  speak.  One  of  the 
great  errors   of  our  day  consists  in  forgetting 


244  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISKAEL. 

this.  Thousands  hear  the  Word  as  the  word  of 
man.  They  do  not  see  God's  authority  stamped 
upon  it.  They  forget  that  it  is  "  full  of  majesty." 
They  go  home  and  say,  "  We  heard  Mr.  A., — 
pretty  good,  but  fallen  off,  awkward  manner, 
nothing  to  Guthrie  :"  or,  "  We  heard  Dr.  B., — 
very  deep,  reads  very  closely,  the  people  could 
not  follow  him."  What  a  contrast  to  such 
words  as  these — "  Speak,  Lord,  for  thy  servant 
heareth."  "  I  will  hear  what  God  the  Lord  will 
speak."  "  O  Lord,  I  have  heard  thy  speech, 
and  was  afraid." 

2,  Because  the  preached  Word  is  God's 
ordinance  to  save  yoti.  Your  eternal  interest 
depends  on  your  hearing  it  "  with  diligence." 
If  you  are  not  saved  by  it,  you  will  never  be 
saved.  Every  offer  of  Christ  is  a  cord  of  love 
to  draw  you  to  his  cross.  Every  sermon  is  a 
chain  of  gold  let  doAvn  from  the  Throne  that 
you  may  take  hold  of  it  and  live.  A  deaf  man, 
they  say,  hears  the  clink  of  money.  The  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ  are  offered  you. 
God  sends  us  with  the  gospel  to  open  your  eyes 
and  to  turn  you  from  darkness  to  light.     "  We 


TAIvE   HEED   HOW   YE   HEAK.  245 

are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though  God  did 
beseech  you  by  us :   we  pray  you  in  Christ's  x 
stead,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God." 

3.  Because  the  Word,  if  not  a  savor  of  Vfe 
unto  life,  is  a  savor  of  death  unto  death.  No 
speech  is  more  common  than  this — "  We  can't 
be  the  worse  of  hearing  a  good  sermon."  The 
Bible  asserts  the  contrary.  "  The  preaching  of 
the  cross  is  to  them  that  perish  fooHshness." 
"  To  you  which  beheve  he  is  precious ;  but  unto 
them  which  be  disobedient  ...  he  is  a  stone 
of  stumbhng,  and  a  rock  of  offence."  Christ 
came  "  for  judgment  into  this  world,  that  they 
who  see  not  might  see,  and  that  they  who  see 
might  be  made  blind."  When  you  hear  the 
Word  then,  think,  "  My  salvation  perhaps  de- 
pends upon  this  sermon."  "  This  may  be 
Christ's  last  knock  at  my  door  !"  "  This  may  be 
the  deciding  day !"  Let  the  a^^ul  interests  at 
stake  arouse  you  to  hear  with  the  ears  of  your 
heart !  No  ruin  is  so  sore  as  the  ruin  of  gospel 
despisers.  You  pity  the  heathen.  Many 
among  us,  it  is  to  be  feared,  wiU  sink  into  a  \ 
darker  hell  than  they.     Why?     Because  of  a 


21G  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

despised  gospel.  Tlie  man  who  falls  from  a 
little  heiglit  is  scarcely  hurt ;  the  man  who  falls 
from  a  steeple  is  killed.  The  writer  knew  of  a 
youth,  the  son  of  a  godly  mother,  who  ran  a 
swift  career  of  profligacy,  and  was  suddenly 
cut  down.  "  Oh,  if  I  could  cut  out  of  my  heart 
the  bit  on  which  my  poor  mother's  neglected 
counsels  are  written!"  were  his  last  words. 
"Woe  unto  thee,  Chorazin!  woe  unto  thee, 
Bethsaida !  for  if  the  mighty  works  which  were 
done  in  you  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
they  would  have  re^Dented  long  ago  in  sackcloth 
and  ashes.  And  thou,  Capernaum,  which  art 
exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt  be  brought  down  to 
heU." 

The  want  of  diligence  in  hearing  is  a  painful 
topic,  which  we  would  fain  pass  over.  Many 
are  all  activity  during  the  week,  and  all  indo- 
lence on  the  Sabbath.  Many  attend  church 
only  once  who  could  easily  attend  twice.  They 
will  not  hearken  to  the  voice  of  the  charmer 
charming  ever  so  sweetly.  The  slightest  excuse 
keeps  them  at  home.  Many  members  of 
churches  would  be  startled  at  the  year's  end 


TAKE  HEED  HOW  YE  HEAR.        247 

if  tliey  were  told  tlie  number  of  diets  fi-om 
which  they  were  absent  during  tlie  year.  The 
weather  is  the  great  excuse  with  young  and  old. 
Sabbath  is  wet ;  they  look  out  in  the  morning, 
and  decide  that  it  would  be  a  serious  risk  to 
venture  to  church.  They  stay  at  home.  The 
sermon  which  might  have  been  blessed  to  their 
conversion,  is  preached  to  the  empty  pew. 
Monday  is  wet;  they  look  out  (for  we  don't 
speak  of  the  aged  and  infirm)  and  decide  that  it 
will  clear  up  by  mid-day :  then  business  is 
business ;  they  have  engagements  of  pressing 
importance  with  this  person  and  that  person; 
and  away  they  rush  into  the  din  of  the  world- 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  shopkeeper  not  taking 
down  his  shutters,  or  a  merchant  staying  at 
home  from  his  office,  or  a  tradesman  from  his 
work  because  the  day  was  wet?  When  the 
Spirit  comes,  people  never  think  of  weather  or  X 
distance.     "  Take  heed  how  you  hear." 

II.  Hear  with  preparation. 
You  believe  that  the  preacher  must  prepare 
— must  seek  by  meditation  and  prayer  to  "  find 


248  THE  SHEPHEED   OF  ISBAEL. 

out  acceptable  words  " — "  words  as  goads,  and 
as  nails  fastened  by  the  masters  of  assemblies." 
You  believe  tliat  anxious  days  and  niglits  are 
not  too  much  for  this.  You  believe,  too,  that 
the  hearer  ought  to  prepare  for  a  communion 
Sabbath,  and  to  ponder,  as  he  approaches  the 
table,  the  words  :  "Loose  thy  shoes  from  off  thy 
feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest  is 
holy."  The  hearer  ought  to  prepare  for  every 
Sabbath.  The  soil  as  well  as  the  seed  must  be 
prepared.  It  must  be  torn  up  and  cleared  of 
stones  and  weeds.  "Break  up  your  fallow 
ground — it  is  time  to  seek  the  Lord."  True 
preaching  requires  two  to  be  divinely  prepared 
— the  preacher  and  the  hearer.  A  good  hearer 
is  as  rare  as  a  good  preacher.  The  preacher 
should  stick  to  his  text — till  he  gets  into  its 
heart,  and  opens  up  its  richness,  and  sweetness, 
and  heavenliness ;  but  the  hearer  should  stick  to 
it  too. 

Banish  tlie  world's  cares,  if  you  would  be  pre- 
pared to  hear.  The  Sabbath  is  the  Christian's 
busiest  day. 


TAKE   HEED   HOW  YE   HEAR.  249 

•'  0  time  of  tranquil  joy,  and  holy  feeling  ! 
When  over  earth  God's  Spirit  from  above 
Spreads  out  his  wings  of  love  ! 
When  sacred  thoughts,  like  angels,  come  appealing 
To  our  tent-doors  ;  0  eve,  to  earth  and  heaven 
The  sweetest  of  the  seven  ! 

"  How  peaceful  are  thy  skies  !  thy  air  is  clearer, 
As  on  the  advent  of  a  gracious  time  ; 
The  sweetness  of  its  prime 

Blesseth  the  world,  and  Eden's  days  seem  nearer  ; 
I  hear,  in  each  faint  stirring  of  the  breeze, 
God's  voice  among  the  trees." — J.  D.  Burns. 

He  rises  early,  as  Jesus  rose  early  from  tlie 
dead.  He  casts  the  world's  cares  aside,  as  he 
casts  aside  his  working-clothes.  "  Abide  ye 
here,"  he  says,  "  while  I  go  and  worship  yon-" 
der."  He  seeks  special  grace  to  tune  his  soul, 
so  that,  Hke  Daniel,  he  may  "  kneel  upon  his 
knees,  with  his  windows  open  toward  Jerusalem." 
He  gets  his  children  and  servants  ready  betimes 
for  the  house  of  prayer,  so  as  not  to  enter  late, 
and  distm'b  the  service.  "We  are  all  here 
present  before  God,"  said  Cornelius,  "to  hear 
all  things  that  are  commanded  thee  of  God." 
And  if  worldly  cares  return  to  eat  the  life  out  of 
his  service,  he   does   as  Abraham  when   "the 


250  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISKAEL. 

fowls  came  down  upon  the  carcasses,  and  lie 
drove  tliem  away."  "Yain  world!"  lie  says, 
"  tliou  hast  had  six  days  entire :  little  enough 
if  one  is  devoted  to  the  things  of  eternity!"'*' 
How  completely  were  the  three  thousand  weaned 
from  the  world  on  the  day  of  Pentecost !  "  Con- 
tinuing daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and 
breaking  bread  from  house  to  house,  they  did 
eat  their  meat  with  gladness  and  singleness  of 
heart,  praising  God." 

*  "While  Mr.  Stewart  (of  Cromarty)  staid  at  tlie  castle, 
he  told  an  anecdote  which  the  duchess  often  repeated  with 
great  animation :  Hector  Munro  was  a  half-witted  man  ; 
but,  like  so  many  of  the  weak  in  this  world,  he  was  strong 
in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Mr.  Stewart  having 
invited  him  to  pay  him  a  visit  at  Cromarty  Manse,  he  came 
most  inopportunely  on  the  Saturday  afternoon,  with  the 
design  of  remaining  all  night,  when  the  minister  was  busily 
engaged  with  his  work  for  the  Sabbath.  .  .  .  Hector 
having  come  in  his  best  clothes,  Mr.  Stewart  addressed  him, 
'Weel,  Hector,  ye've  made  yersel'  braw  the  day.'  'Hoot 
ay,'  said  Hector,  'folk  maks  themsel's  braw  to  gang  to  thae 
vain  markets  :  but  I'se  warrant  the  Sabbath's  the  best  mar- 
ket, for  it's  there  we  get  without  money  and  withoiit  price. 
An',  Maister  Stewart,  I'm  thinkin'  the  Saturday's  jist  like 
the  Christian's  deathbed  :  he's  dune  his  wark,  an'  he's 
washed,  an'  he's  clean,  an'  he  lies  doon,  an'  he  waukens — 
an'  it's  the  Sabbath  !  An'  He  was  braw himsel'  that  day.'  " — 
Life  of  the  last  Duchess  of  Gordon,  p.  167. 


TAKE  HEED  HOW  YE  HEAE.        251 

"  Wash  Tjour  liands  in  innocency.'"  Tlie  layer 
in  the  tabernacle  stood  between  the  door  and 
the  altar.  The  priests  washed  in  it  ere  they 
approached  the  altar  on  pain  of  death.  All 
believers  are  now  made  kings  and  priests  to 
God.  Wash  in  the  layer,  ere  yon  go  to  hear 
the  Word  of  God. 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Emmanuel's  veins  ; 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

"  Lay  apart  all  filthiness,  and  snperflnity  of 
naughtiness,  and  receive  with  meekness  the 
ingrafted  Word."  There  is  no  true  hearing 
without  washing  in  the  blood.  There  is  no 
coming  to  Mount  Zion  without  coming  to  the 
blood  of  sprinkling.  Prize  this  blood.  Wash 
in  it,  that  you  may  be  cleansed  from  dead 
works.  Without  the  constant  application  of  it, 
ordinances  increase  your  guilt.  The  ark  among 
the  Philistines  made  the  Lord  visit  them  with 
plagues.  If  you  go  to  hear  God's  Word  without 
banishing  the  cares  of  the  world,  wherein  do 
you  differ  from  the  money-changers  that  Jesus 


252  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

drove  out  of  tlie  temple?  You  offer  but  the 
dead  carcass  of  a  sacrifice.  If  you  go  -without 
washing  in  the  blood,  Satan's  black  seal  is  upon 
you.     "  Take  heed  how  ye  hear." 

III.  Hear  with  ^p^^m^"^- 

"When  the  General  Assembly  of  1859  wel- 
comed Mr.  Brownlow  North  as  an  evangelist, 
he  gave  an  address  which  stirred  the  hearts 
of  thousands,  and  made  many  gray-haired 
fathers  weex3.  The  key-note  was  :  "  There  is 
one  special  thing  for  which  God  is  very  angry 
with  Scotland,  and  for  which  his  Spirit  is  so 
little  among  us  ;  and  that  is,  the  neglect  of  united 
'prayer,  which  is  God's  appointed  means  for 
hringing  doion  the  Holy  Sp)irit.  You  find  con- 
gregations of  fourteen  hundred  or  sixteen 
hundred,  on  the  Sunday,  and  at  the  prayer- 
meeting  twenty  or  thirty  persons !  The  Scotch 
are  a  sermon-hearing  rather  than  a  praying 
people."  Dear  young  friends,  we  appeal  spe- 
cially to  you  on  this  point.  Prayer-meetings 
have  been,  in  every  age,  the  great  means  of 
opening   heaven's   windows.       In   1742,   ninety 


TAKE  HEED  HOW  YE  HEAK.        253 

heads  of  families  sent  Mr.  M'Culloch  of  Cani- 
buslang  a  request  to  open  sucli  a  meeting. 
Soon  after  there  was  a  "  great  rain."  M'Cheyne 
tells  that,  on  his  return  from  the  Holy  Land, 
there  were  tJiirfy-nine  weekly  prayer-meetings 
in  his  congregation,  and  five  of  them  entirely 
conducted  by  children.  Who  can  tell  the  bless- 
ings that  these  solemn  prayer-meetings  in  Glas- 
gow, in  the  Free  Assembly  Half,  Edinburgh, 
and  elsewhere,  have  brought  down  upon  the 
world ! 

If  three  hundred  praying  men  and  women 
assembled  in  a  church,  like  Gideon's  three  hun- 
dred, whose  watchword  was,  "  The  sword  of  the 
Lord  and  of  Gideon,"  happy  the  minister  who 
is  in  the  pulpit.  There's  no  support  like  the 
prayers  of  God's  people.  A  praying  people 
make  a  preaching  minister.  Neither  great  gifts, 
nor  hard  study,  nor  notes  m  the  book,  will  avail 
without  the  people's  prayers.  He  who  is  best 
supported  in  this  way  wiU  be  most  successful  in 
winning  souls.  The  model  hearer  hears  and 
prays,  hke  the  gardener  who,  on  being  asked 
what  he  was  doing,  replied,  "  I  am  digging  and 


254  THE   SHEPHEED    OF  ISRAEL. 

praying."  Oil !  if  every  liearer  came  from  Lis 
Imees  with  the  dew  of  the  holy  Ghost  upon  his 
soiil,  it  would  be  easy  to  preach  then.  Moses' 
hands  were  steady  when  Aaron  and  Hur  stood 
beside  him.  They  would  not  have  been  steady 
if  Aaron  and  Hur  had  deserted  him.  It's  a 
cruel  thing  to  hear  a  minister  without  prajdng 
for  him. 

Pray,  then,  when  you  hear.  Pray  that  the 
King  of  kings  may  be  seen  riding  gloriously  on 
his  white  horse.  Pray  for  yourself,  and  say,  "  I 
am  a  poor  dying  sinner ;  Lord,  open  my  eyes 
that  of  thy  law  the  wonders  I  may  see."  Pray 
for  your  families,  that  they  may  stand  at  last  in 
unbroken  companies  with  the  Lamb  on  Mount 
Zion.  Pray  for  ministers,  that  they  may  have 
the  unction  from  the  Holy  One,  and  the  tongue 
of  fire.  Pray  for  GocVs  children,  that  they  may 
be  revived  as  the  corn,  and  that,  Hke  Naphtali, 
they  may  be  "  satisfied  with  favor,  and  full  with 
the  blessing  of  the  Lord."  Pray  for  all  the 
churches  of  Christ,  that  they  may  "have  rest 
and  be  edified,  walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
and  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost."    Pray  for 


TAKE  HEED  HOW  YE  HEAE.        255 

the  young,  that  they  may  seek  and  find  Jesus 
now,  like  one  who  found  him  lately,  and  said, 
"  There's  glory  in  my  heart  now."  Pray  for 
Sabbath-schools,  that  they  may  be  nurseries  of  the 
Church  below,  and  of  the  Church  above,  and 
that  in  all  the  classes  there  may  be  found  groups 
of  the  lambs  of  Jesus.  Pray  for  sinners  in  your 
own  congregation,  whether  they  be  open  sinners 
or  cold  formalists,  that  they  may  be  awakened 
to  seek  the  Lord  weeping.  Pray  for  non-church- 
goers, that  they  may  see  the  worth  of  divine 
ordinances,  and  be  taught  to  say  before  they  die, 
"  How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  O  Lord !  A 
day  in  thy  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand." 
Oh,  if  God  would  pour  out  the  Spirit  of  prayer 
on  every  hearer,  what  life,  and  light,  and  power 
— what  solemnity — what  Bethel-like  fear — would 
be  felt  in  all  the  services ! 

A  sovereign  will  grant  the  prayer  of  a  petition 
signed  by  a  whole  community,  when  he  would 
not  grant  the  prayer  of  an  individual.  So  with 
God.  He  cannot  refuse  the  united  prayers  of 
his  children  who  cry  day  and  night  unto  him. 
When  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  prayed  in 


256  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISEAEL. 

tlie  upper  room  at  Jerusalem,  the  Spirit  came 
clown  like  a  rushing  mighty  wind.  Soon  after, 
"  Avhen  they  had  prayed,  the  place  was  shaken 
where  they  were  assembled  together,  and  they 
were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they 
spake  the  Word  of  God  with  boldness,  .  .  .  and 
with  great  power  gave  the  apostles  witness  of 
the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  and  great 
grace  was  upon  them  all."  "  Give  ear,  O 
Shepherd  of  Israel,  thou  that  leadest  Joseph 
like  a  flock,  thou  that  dwellest  between  the 
cherubim,  shine  forth."  "Awake,  O  north  wind ; 
and  come,  thou  south :  blow  upon  my  garden, 
that  the  spices  thereof  may  flow  out.  Let  my 
beloved  come  into  his  garden,  and  eat  his 
pleasant  fruits." 

IV.  We  must  receive  the  Word  heard  with 
fcdth. 

Receive.  A  lady  heard  the  same  sermon 
thrice  from  the  late  Dr.  Macdonald.  She  met 
him  one  evening,  and  tried  to  talk  merrily  of  the 
circumstance.  "  What  was  the  text  ?"  said  the 
doctor.      She     told    him.      "  What    were    the 


TAKE  HEED  HOW  YE  HEAK.       257 

heads  ?"  After  some  hesitation  she  told  them, 
though  not  in  the  correct  order.  "  What  were 
the  leading  thoughts?"  Not  a  word.  "You 
haye  much  need  of  hearing  it  a  fourth  time," 
said  the  doctor.  Hundreds  of  sermons  are  lost 
in  this  way.  The  very  text  is  forgotten.  A  silly 
story  sticks  in  an  unsanctified  memory ;  holy 
truth  oozes  out  of  it.  Ezeldel's  photograph  of 
the  hearers  of  his  day  resembles  many  hearers  in 
ours.  "They  come  unto  thee  as  the  people 
Cometh,  and  they  sit  before  thee  as  my  people, 
and  they  hear  thy  words,  but  they  will  not  do 
them ;  for  with  their  mouth  they  show  much 
love,  but  their  heart  goeth  after  their  covetous- 
ness.  And,  lo,  thou  art  unto  them  as  a  very 
lovely  song  of  one  that  hath  a  pleasant  voice, 
and  can  play  well  on  an  instrument ;  for  they 
hear  thy  words,  but  they  do  them  not."  (Ezek. 
xxxiii.  31,  32.)  "  Therefoi'e  we  ought  to  give  the 
more  earnest  heed  to  the  things  which  we  have 
heard,  lest  at  any  time  we  should  let  them  slip." 
With  Faith.  Learn  the  vital  worth  of  faith 
in  hearing  from  Heb.  iv.  2 — "  The  word  preach- 
ed did  not  profit  them,  not  being  mixed  with 
17 


258  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

faith  in  them  that  heard  it."  Many  who  heard 
the  gospel  from  Jesus'  own  lips,  only  sank  into 
a  darker  death ;  because  the  Word  was  not 
mixed  with  faith  in  their  hearts.  Faith  is  the 
eye  with  which  you  see  the  cross.  Faith  is  the 
hand  with  which  you  grasp  the  cross.  Faith  is 
the  mouth  with  which  you  "  eat  Christ's  flesh 
and  drink  his  blood."  No  faith,  no  Christ.  No 
Christ,  no  life.  See,  then,  the  evil  of  unbelief ; 
it  makes  the  Word  preached  worse  than  vain. 
"  Oh  that  thou  hadst  known  the  things  which 
belong  to  thy  peace  :  but  now  they  are  hid  from 
thine  eyes !" 

Objection  :  "  But  I  have  faith."  Is  it  true  ? 
For  true  faith  in  these  two  facts — I  am  a  great 
sinner,  and  Christ  is  a  great  Saviour — wUl  save 
the  soul.  Is  it  true?  For  many  mistake  the 
assent  of  the  understanding  for  the  consent  of 
the  heart.  Boston  tells  that  he  met  a  person  in 
his  household  visitations  who  said  she  had 
believed  all  her  days.  In  June,  1859,  when  all 
Ulster  was  shaking  like  the  valley  of  dry  bones, 
a  man  of  outwardly  stainless  life  in  Coleraine 
was  pricked  to  the  heart,  and  cried  bitterly  for 


TAKE   HEED   HOW  YE   HEAR.  259 

mercy.  "  Oh,  John,"  said  his  wife,  "  ye  had 
faith  afore  !"     "  The  devils  beheve  and  tremble." 

Question  :  "  How  shall  I  know  that  my  faith 
is  true  ?"  In  two  ways — (1.)  True  faith  is  the 
"  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen."  It  gives  reality  to  its  objects. 
It  sees  a  real  God,  a  real  Christ,  a  real  heaven, 
a  real  hell,  where  the  world  sees  nothing.  The 
love  of  God — the  preciousness  of  the  blood  of 
Christ — the  dreadful  evil  of  sin — the  solemn 
cries  of  a  death-bed — the  great  gulf  between 
Christ  and  the  wicked  when  they  die — are 
reaUties  now.  "  The  Judge  stands  at  the  door." 
The  view  which  a  child  of  God  has  of  spiritual 
things  is  far  more  different  from  the  world's 
view  of  them  than  the  picture  of  a  man  from  the 
living  man  himself.  How?  Because  Christ 
declares,  "  The  men  of  the  old  world  knew  not 
until  the  flood  came  and  took  them  all  away." 
They  had  often  heard  it.  Yes — ^just  as  thought- 
less sinners  have  often  heard  of  hell.  But  they 
kneiv  it  not. 

(2.)  True  faith  appropriates  these  imseen 
realities.     It  links  the  soul  to  them.     It  lives  on 


260  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

them.  "I  live  by  faitli,"  says  Paul.  It's  my 
only  means  of  support.  Moses  left  Egypt 
because  lie  saw  God  invisible  as  his  God.  Not 
a  promise  but  faitli  says,  "  Amen,  Lord,  to  that 
promise."  It  hungers  and  thirsts  after  right- 
eousness. It  waits  at  the  posts  of  Christ's  door. 
Thus  it  transforms  the  soul.  Head  faith,  again, 
like  a  bucket  without  a  bottom,  draws  up  nothing. 

V.  "We  must  receive  the  Word  with  love. 

We  once  travelled  on  board  a  steamer  with  a 
venerable  minister.  He  had  a  rich  fund  of 
anecdote,  and  the  wide  range  of  his  information 
made  him  a  charming  fellow-traveller.  Sud- 
denly, as  we  were  deep  in  talk,  he  turned  away, 
and  pulled  an  old  letter  out  of  his  pocket,  and 
began  to  read.  "What  paper  is  this?"  we 
asked.  "  It's  a  letter  from  my  wife,"  said  he. 
"  You  seem  to  have  read  it  pretty  well." 
"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  have  read  it,  and  read  it, 
and  I  am  reading  it  yet  again."  The  Bible  is 
such  a  letter  to  the  child  of  God.  It's  a  letter 
from  home.  Every  time  he  reads  it  he  sees 
some  new  glory  in  it.     "  It  is  the  voice  of  my 


TAKE   HEED   HOW   YE   HEAE.  261 

Beloved."  "This  command  (says  an  old  writer) 
is  a  secret  of  Jesus,  this  promise  the  sw^eet  Yoice 
of  Jesus,  these  consolations  the  comforts  of 
Jesus,  these  ministers  the  messengers  of  Jesus, 
these  ordinances  the  kingdom  of  Jesus."  Hence 
the  love  of  God's  children  for  the  preached 
Word.  "Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of 
thy  house,  and  the  place  where  thine  honor 
dwelleth."  "  I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto 
me.  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord." 
David  envied  the  very  swallows  that  built  about 
the  temple. 

On  sacramental  occasions  in  the  Highlands, 
the  congregation  assemble  on  the  hill-side. 
Sometimes  they  may  be  seen  carrying  forms, 
chairs,  stools,  to  the  hallowed  spot.  There  they 
sit,  wet  or  dry,  during  the  five  days  of  the 
solemnity,  with  a  reverence  and  a  love  for  God's 
ordinances  rarely  equalled.  One  sacramental 
Monday  evening,  walking  along  the  principal 
street  in  Stornoway,  we  met  a  frail  old  figure, 
carrying  a  stool  in  his  hand.  "  Wliat  have  you 
got  here,  Alister?"  "Oh,"  said  he,  wdth  tears, 
"  my  heart  was  sore  taking  the  stool  away !" 


262  THE  SHEPHERD  OF  ISEAEL. 

There  had  Ahster  during  these  days  been  re- 
freshed with  draughts  from  the  well  of  Beth- 
lehem. There  had  he  taken  the  cup  of  salvation. 
He  felt  it  good  to  be  there.  It  was  the  gate  of 
heaven.  He  was  wedded  to  the  spot.  He  wept 
taking  the  stool  away. 

When  God  revealed  his  glory  at  Cambuslang 
in  1742,  some  declared  that  they  would  not  for  a 
world  have  been  absent.  Others  said,  Now  let 
thy  servants  depart  in  peace  on  this  very  spot, 
for  our  eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation.  They 
would  fain  never  have  returned  to  the  world 
again.  And  during  the  late  time  of  refreshing, 
how  many  in  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh,  Dumfries 
and  Perth,  Aberdeen  and  Huntly,  were  filled 
with  such  joy  that  they  could  wish  for  the 
tongues  of  angels,  to  sing  their  Kedeemer's 
praises  !  "  That  blessed  sound  of  prayers  and 
psalms,"  said  one,  "put  me  in  mind  of  the 
sweet  songs  that  are  sung  at  God's  right  hand !" 
Dear  young  friends,  may  you  never  forget  what 
your  own  eyes  have  seen  of  God's  glorious 
]3ower! 


TXKE   HEED  HOW  YE  HEAR.        263 

YI.  We  must  Imj  the  Word  up  in  our  hearts. 

If  the  Word  has  brought  hfe  to  your  soul, 
you  will  be  in  no  danger  of  forgetting  it. 
Sooner  will  your  right  hand  forget  its  cunning. 
One  has  found  peace  from  the  words,  "  Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God  ;"  another  fi'om,  "  Yet  there  is 
room ;"  and  still  another  from  the  words,  "  The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin:" 
and  these  words  are  treasured  up  in  your  heart's 
core.  "  I  wiU  never  forget  thy  precepts,  for  by 
them  thou  hast  quickened  me."  "  Thy  Word 
have  I  hid  in  my  heart,  that  I  might  not  sin 
against  thee."  Dear  young  friends,  be  like  the 
Bereans  who  searched  the  Scriptures  daily. 
Remember  what  you  hear.  Harrow  in  the  seed 
by  meditation.  Glean  in  the  field  of  the  Word, 
that  you  may  have  something  for  those  at  home. 
Gather  up  the   fragments  that  nothing  be  lost. 

But,  lest  we  sadden  the  heart  of  any  drooping 
disciple  who  has  no  memory,  let  us  state  a  case 
which  Mr.  W.  C.  Burns,  now  in  glory,  told  us 
of.  There  was  a  poor  widow  who  loved  her 
Saviour,  and  often  went  great  distances  to  hear. 
Her  neighbors  scoffed  at  her.     One  day,  as  she 


264  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

was  washing  worsted  in  a  stream  that  ran  by 
her  cottage,  a  neighbor  came  u^  and  said, 
"  Well,  you've  been  at  the  sacrament."  "  Yes." 
"  Tell  us  some  of  these  grand  sermons  you 
heard."  "I  can't."  "Do  you  mind  nothing?" 
"Nothing."  "What's  the  use  of  going,  then?" 
"All!"  said  she,  with  beaming  face,  "look  at 
this  worsted.  It  does  not  keep  any  of  the  run- 
ning water ;  but  it's  getting  whiter.  So,  though 
my  soul  keeps  but  little  of  the  pure  waters  of 
the  sanctuary,  I  trust  it's  getting  wliiter  !" 

VII.  We  mu^t  practise  it  in  our  lives. 

It  is  a  common  taunt  with  non-church-goers, 
"  We  know  many  who  attend  church,  and  we  see 
little  difference  between  them  and  ourselves, 
although  we  attend  no  church."  Hearers  of  the 
Word,  wipe  this  reproach  away!  Be  Hving 
epistles  of  Christ.  Take  the  Bible  as  your 
lamp  and  light  all  the  week.  Walk  in  the 
truth.  Let  your  conversation  be  as  it  becometh 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  You  value  the  ministry 
of  the  Word.  Let  your  holy  lives  be  the 
response  to  it. 


TAIvE  HEED   HOW  YE   HEAE.  265 

Dear  young  Mends,  in  conclusion  let  me  say 
— Dont  let  the  summer  days  of  youth  pass  aivay 
loitliout  giving  your  liearts  to  Jesus.  John  Angell 
James  observes,  in  his  "  Anxious  Inquirer,"  that 
the  great  majority  of  the  converted  are  converted 
between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and  twenty-five. 
The  tongue  of  an  angel  cannot  tell  the  priceless 
value  of  these  ten  years.  If  you  let  them  pass 
without  finding  Jesus,  you  will  never  be  so 
likely  to  find  him  again.  And  in  Robe's  "  Nar- 
rative," it  is  said,  "Many  soUd  divines  are  of 
opinion,  that  there  are  but  few  of  those  who 
live  under  the  gospel  from  their  infancy  lolto 
are  converted  after  they  are  thirty  yeccrs  of  age.'' 
May  the  Holy  Spirit  draw  you  to  Jesus  now ! 

Let  me  speak  to  the  old,  whose  eyes  may  fall 
upon  these  lines.  We  have  more  hope  in  ad- 
dressing the  young :  but  to  you  also  we  say, 
"  Take  heed  how  ye  hear."  We  would  affection- 
ately ask — 

Are  you  an  irregular  hearer?  Do  you  often 
stay  at  home  without  cause?  For  when  men 
often  stay  without  cause,  they  drop  away  al- 
together,  and    become  home  heathens.     You 


2 66  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

may  be  one  of  tliese  yet.  Take  lieed,  above  all, 
lest  you  have  cause  to  reflect  bitterly  on  this 
when  you  come  to  die. 

Are  you  a  luandering  hearer  ?  Our  more 
judicious  hearers  do  not  wander.  There  is  such 
a  thing  as  the  pastoral  tie.  It  is  a  tender  tie. 
There  is  a  risk  of  having  itching  ears.  If  every 
hearer  wandered,  there  would  be  no  congrega- 
tions.    There  would  only  be  mere  crowds. 

Sleeping  in  church  has  been  the  habit  of  a 
few  from  Eutychus  downwards.  We  never 
heard  of  legatees  sleeping  when  a  rich  will  was 
being  read.  In  the  gospel  we  have  the  last 
testament  .of  the  Son  of  God. 

What  should  lue  he  luithout  the  gospel  ?  There's 
no  famine  like  a  famine  of  the  gospel.  Many 
from  abroad  cry  for  it,  and  say,  Come  over  and 
help  us.     Take  heed  how  you  hear  it. 


XIII. 


AS    WHITE    AS    SNOW. 

Isaiah  i.  18. 

< '  Come  now,  and  let  ns  reason  together,  saitli  the  Lord  : 
though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as 
snow  ;  though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as 
wool." 

HAT  is  a  beautiful  thouglit  of  tlie  la- 
mented Dr.  James  Hamilton's :  Sup- 
pose that  every  one  were  to  mark  in 
golden  letters  the  text  which  has  been 
the  means  of  saving  his  soul.  The  apostle  Paul 
would  mark  the  words,  "Saul,  Saul,  why  per- 
secutest  thou  me  ?"  for  it  was  these  words  spoken 
by  Jesus  from  the  dazzling  Hght  that  made  him 
a  new  creature.  In  the  Bible  of  the  Macedonian 
jailer  the  golden  letters  would  be  found  at  Acts 
xvi.  31,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 

(267) 


268  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISEAEL. 

thou  shalt  be  saved  :"  for,  embracing  tliis  simple 
offer,  lie  rejoiced  believing  in  God  witli  all  his 
house.  Martin  Luther  would  print  the  text, 
"  The  just  shall  live  by  faith,"  in  gold  :  for  that 
text  spoken  by  the  gentle  hps  of  the  vicar-general 
guided  him  to  peace  ;  and  the  3^oung  monk  of 
Erfurth,  reduced  by  fasts  and  tears  and  struggles 
to  the  verge  of  the  grave,  found  rest  in  the 
wounds  of  Jesus.  In  the  Bible  of  Bunyan  the 
mark  would  be  found  at,  "  Yet  there  is  room  :" 
it  was  through  the  lattice  of  these  words  that  he 
first  saw  the  cross,  and  he  thought  God  had 
put  them  into  the  Bible  to  meet  his  special  case. 
And  the  Ironside  soldier  would  indicate  Eccles. 
xi.  9  :  for  it  was  there  that  the  bullet  stopped 
which,  but  for  the  interposing  Bible,  would  have 
pierced  his  bosom ;  and  when  the  battle  was 
over  he  read,  "  Kejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy 
youth,  and  let  thy  heart  cheer  thee  in  the  days 
of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways  of  thine 
heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes ;  but  know 
thou  that  for  all  these  things  God  will  bring 
thee  into  judgment."*  But  who  can  tell  how 
*  **The  Lamp  and  the  Lantern,"  p.  128. 


AS  WHITE  AS   SNOW.  269 

many  would  inslirine  in  gold  a  text  which  has 
comforted  millions,  and  is  destined  to  comfort 
milKons  more  ;  or  what  words  do  we  so  instinc- 
tively turn  to  in  directing  anxious  souls  to  Christ 
as  these,  "  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together, 
saith  the  Lord  :  though  3^our  sins  be  as  scarlet, 
they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though  they  be 
red  hke  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool "  ?  We 
have  here  an  invitation  and  a  promise. 

1.  An  invitation:    "Come    now,   and  let  us 
reason  together." 

(1.)  God  is  luiUing  to  come  to  terms.  When  a 
quaiTel  arises  among  men,  it  is  not  the  offended 
party  who  first  makes  proposals  of  peace.  He 
feels  that  he  has  been  wronged,  and  that  he  has 
a  right  to  demand  satisfaction  from  the  offender. 
But  here  the  party  offended  makes  offers  of 
peace  first.  God  as  it  were  descends  from  his 
tlirone,  and  in\dtes  the  sinner  to  a  conference. 
The  King  invites  the  rebel — the  Judge  invites ' 
the  criminal.  God  has  no  pleasure  in  being  at 
war  with  so  insignificant  an  antagonist  as  fallen 
man.  He  wishes  the  case  to  be  settled  here 
and  now.     He   is   easy  to  be   entreated.     The 


270  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

Father's  lieart  yearns  over  tlie  prodigal.  God 
is  in  earnest.  He  has  set  up  a  Throne  of  grace 
where  he  is  waiting  to  be  gracious.  He 
stretches  out  the  golden  sceptre.  The  case  is 
easier  settled  here,  ere  the  day  of  grace  is  past, 
ere  it  goes  up  unsettled  to  the  great  white 
throne.  "  Fury  is  not  in  me  :  wlio  would  set  the 
briers  and  thorns  against  me  in  battle?  I 
would  go  through  them,  I  would  burn  them 
together ;  but  let  him  take  hold  of  my  strength, 
that  he  may  make  peace  with  me  :  and  he  shall 
make  peace  with  me." 

(2.)  He  has  provided  an  Advocate  to  plead  for 
us.     "We  cannot  reason  ourselves. 

In  an  action  where  the  crown  is  pursuer,  and 
a  wretch  laden  with  crimes  is  defender,  he  has 
little  chance.  Unskilled  in  legal  forms  himself 
he  cannot  emplo}^  the  first  counsel — such 
counsel  will  not  undertake  his  case,  and  it  is 
lost.  But  here,  although  in  legal  phrase  the 
King  of  kings  is  the  pursuer,  and  guilty  man  the 
defender,  he  has,  wonderful  to  tell,  provided  the 
first  counsel  in  heaven  to  plead  for  us,  an 
Advocate  whe  never  lost  a  case,  who  never  took  a 


AS   WHITE  AS   SNOW.  271 

file  for  a  case,  who  never  refused  to  undertake  a 
case,  however  poor  and  needy  the  client. 
Surely  one  of  the  great  marvels  of  the  gospel ! 
No  wonder  that  we  can  call  this  text  a  star  of  the 
first  magnitude  in  the  firmament  of  divine  truth. 
An  Advocate  is  here  provided  to  conduct  your 
case  who  will  go  into  court  with  you  ;  who  will 
bring  it  to  a  successful  issue  without  fee  or 
reward ;  who  reckons  it  the  greatest  joy,  that 
you  lay  upon  him  all  your  sins  and  intrust  him 
with  the  whole  responsibility  of  making  your 
peace  with  God ;  who  glories  in  being  the  Medi- 
ator, the  Eeconciler,  the  Peace-maker  between 
earth  and  heaven !  "  We  have  an  Advocate 
with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous  :" 
"  Wherefore  he  is  able  also  to  save  them  to  the 
uttermost  that  come  unto  God  by  him,  seeing 
he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them." 

(3.)  He  furnishes  us  lultli  arguments.  His 
own  name  is  one — God  is  love.  Sin-burned, 
trembling  soul !  let  this  name  be  your  plea. 
There  is  a  perfect  universe  of  tenderness  in  it. 

Ghxi^i'^  finished  loorh  is  another.  This  plea 
carries  all  before  it.     Satan  cannot  withstand  it. 


272  THE   SHEPHEKD   OF  ISEAEL. 

When  Joshua,  clad  in  filthy  garments,  stood 
before  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  Satan  stood  at  his 
riglit  hand  to  resist  him ;  but  when  the  angel 
said,  "  Is  not  this  a  brand  plucked  out  of  the 
fire?"  Satan  fled,  and  we  never  read  of  him 
more  throughout  the  whole  book  of  Zechariah  ! 
However  great  your  sins,  the  blood  of  Christ  is 
greater.  Although  they  cry  aloud  for  vengeance, 
with  voice  still  louder,  and  sweet  as  the  music  of 
paradise,  the  blood  of  sprinlding  cries,  "  Deliver 
from  going  down  to  the  pit,  I  have  found  a  ran- 
som !"  The  waters  of  the  flood  covered  the 
highest  mountains.  Not  one  mountain-top 
could  be  seen.  Looking  from  above,  you  could 
see  nothing  but  a  vast  world  of  waters — a 
mighty  expanse  reflecting  the  beams  of  the  sun. 
So  if  you  are  covered  with  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  the  mountains  of  your  sins  will  not  be 
seen. 

The  promises  are  another.  They  hang  in 
golden  clusters. 

God's  tuelcome  to  penitents  in  all  ages  is 
another.  Said  Benhadad's  servants  (1  Kings 
XX.  31)  :  "  We  have  heard  that  the  kings  of  the 


AS  WHITE  AS   SNOW.  273 

house  of  Israel  are  merciful  Mngs,"  and  with 
sackcloth  on  their  loins  and  ropes  on  their 
heads  they  came  to  the  king  of  Israel,  and 
obtained  mercy  for  their  fallen  master.  Thus, 
looking  over  the  archives  of  his  government,  the 
countless  roll  of  sinners,  Hke  you  aud  me,  whom 
he  has  pardoned  with  overflowing  love  from 
Manasseh  down  to  the  sinner  who  has  found 
mercy  to-day — may  you  reason,  "  Lord,  I  have 
heard  that  thou  showest  mercy  to  thousands, 
that  thy  mercy  is  Hke  a  river  still  running,  and 
I  have  come  to  taste  of  it." 

Observe  the  word  noio.  "Comenoi^?."  Not 
to-morrow.  "  The  Holy  Ghost  saith.  To-day." 
God  offers  to  reason  with  man.  He  has  fixed 
the  place — the  mercy-seat,  and  the  time — now. 
He  is  waiting.  Jesus  is  knocking.  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  striving.  The  great  gospel  is  appeahng. 
Now  may  be  the  eleventh  hour.  Death  is  at 
the  door. 

An  artist  requested  permission  to  paint  a 
portrait  of  the  Queen.  The  request  was  granted. 
The  time  and  place  were  fixed.     At  the  fixed 

place  and  time  her  majesty  appeared ;  but  the 

18 


274  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

artist  was  not  tliere  ;  lie  was  busy  making  pre- 
parations. In  a  few  minutes  lie  arrived,  and 
found  that  the  Queen  liad  left  and  would  not 
return. 

Thus  many  lose  the  supreme  opportunity. 
The  old  world  lost  its  day.  Esau  lost  his  day, 
and  bitter  cries  could  not  recall  it.  Israel  in 
the  wilderness  lost  their  day,  and  God  sware  in 
his  wrath  that  they  should  not  enter  into  his 
rest.  Jerusalem  lost  her  day,  and  Jesus  wept 
over  her.  The  foolish  virgins  lost  their  day, 
and  were  only  awakened,  as  a  great  writer  ex- 
presses it,  by  "  the  bridal  train  sweeping  by,  and 
the  shutting  of  the  doors,  and  the  discovery 
that  their  lamps  were  gone  out."  Felix  lost  his 
day.  And  remember  weU,  many  a  day  has 
begun  fair,  and  continued  long  so,  that  has  had 
a  foul  evening. 

"The  voice  of  wisdom  cries,  Be  in  time  ; 
To  give  up  every  sin,  in  earnest  now  begin  ; 
The  night  will  soon  set  in.  Be  in  time. 

"  Oh  should  the  door  be  shut  when  you  come  ; 
Should  God  in  thunder  say,  Depart  from  me  away, 
'Twill  be  in  vain  to  pray,  Be  in  time." 


AS  WHITE  AS  SNOW.  275 

2.  A  promise:  "Tliougli  your  sins  be  as 
scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow." 

However  great  and  heinous,  however  red  and 
bloody,  your  sins  be — and  though  they  be  count- 
less as  the  sand  of  the  sea — they  will  all  be 
blotted  out,  they  mil  all  be  forgiven  and  for- 
gotten by  a  gracious  God.  The  sin  of  your 
nature,  the  sin  of  your  heart,  the  sin  of  your  life, 
the  sin  of  your  lips,  your  secret  sins  hid  from 
every  eye  but  God's — all  your  sins  and  iniquities, 
and  unrighteousnesses,  and  transgressions,  will 
be  made  as  loMte  as  snoio. 

(1.)  Every  sin  has  the  color  of  scarlet  and 
crimson.  A  deep-red  bloody  color.  In  heaven's 
statute-book  sin  is  a  capital  crime.  "We  call 
murder  a  capital  crime  because  it  spills  the  life 
of  the  body.  Cain's  hands  are  still  red  with 
his  brother's  blood.  But  sin  spills  the  life  of 
the  soul.  Nay  more,  it  strikes  a  blow  at  the 
crown,  at  the  very  being  of  God.  Hence  "  the 
wages  of  sin  is  deaths 

(2.)  The  word  translated  "scarlet"  means  a 
douUe    dye — a    deeper,   darker  dye.     "Though 


276  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISll.iEL. 

your  sins  be  as  scarlet ;"  tliougli  you  be  stained 
not  only  with  original  depravity,  but  doubly 
stained  witli  actual  transgression,  in  tliouglit, 
word,  and  deed — though  you  be  steeped  and 
soaking  in  sin  like  cloth  in  a  vat  of  scarlet  dye 
— though  your  life  be  one  web  of  sin,  the  woof 
of  your  daily  transgressions  interwoven  with 
the  warp  of  your  original  corruption — the 
moment  you  are  sprinkled  with  the  precious 
blood  you  become  as  white  as  snow. 

We  once  visited  a  famous  dyeing  establish- 
ment. Inspecting  the  various  processes,  we 
were  surprised  at  the  strange  transformations  of 
material  from  gray  to  gold,  and  from  the  pale 
white  of  the  lily  to  the  red  of  the  fresh  blown 
rose.  "  Can  you  extract  scarlet  and  crimson  ?" 
we  asked.  "  Yes."  "  Will  the  material  be 
white  thereafter  ?"  "  No  ;  we  can  extract  the 
colors,  but  the  material  will  be  clay-colored,  or 
yellowish-gray."  A  famihar  fact  in  nature  gave 
us  a  fresh  insight  into  another  fact  in  grace.  It 
gave  us  a  fresh  discovery  of  the  preciousness  of 
that  blood  which  not  only  extracts  the  scarlet 


AS  WHITE  AS  SNOW.  277 

and  the  crimson   of  our  sins,  but  makes  tlie 
vilest  sinner  as  luliite  as  snoivj' 

This  fact  is  the  pith  and  core  of  the  gospel. 
Jesus  took  our  sins ;  we  receive  his  righteous- 
ness. He  paid  our  debts ;  we  receive  a  discharge 
in  full.  He  died  our  death ;  we  live  his  life. 
God  does  not  ask  two  hves,  or  two  deaths,  or 
two  payments.     Christ  suffered  the  sentence  of 

*  "I  remember  well  how  once  God  preached  to  me  by  a 
similitude  in  the  depth  of  winter.  The  earth  had  been 
black,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  green  thing  or  a  flower  to  be 
seen.  As  you  looked  across  the  field,  there  was  nothing  but 
blackness — bare  hedges  and  leafless  trees,  and  black,  black 
earth — wherever  you  looked.  On  a  sudden  God  spake,  and 
unlocked  the  treasures  of  the  snow,  and  white  flakes  de- 
scended until  there  was  no  blackness  to  be  seen,  for  all  was 
one  sheet  of  dazzling  whiteness.  It  was  at  that  time  I  was 
seeking  the  Saviour,  and  it  was  then  I  found  him  ;  and  I  re- 
member weU  that  Sermon  which  I  saw  before  me.  '  Come 
now,  and  let  us  reason  together  :  though  your  sins  be  as 
scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow  ;  though  they  be  red 
like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool. '  Sinner,  thy  heart  is 
like  that  black  ground  ;  thy  soul  is  like  that  bare  tree  and 
hedgerow,  without  leaf  or  blossom  :  God's  grace  is  like  the 
white  snow.  It  shall  faU  upon  thee  till  thy  doubting  heart 
shall  glitter  in  whiteness  of  pardon,  and  thy  poor  black  soul 
shall  be  covered  with  the  spotless  purity  of  the  Son  of  God. 
He  seems  to  say  to  you,  Sinner,  you  are  black,  but  I  am 
ready  to  forgive  you  ;  I  will  wrap  thy  heart  in  the  ermine  of 
my  Son's  righteousness,  and  with  my  Son's  own  garments 
on,  thou  shalt  be  holy  as  the  Holy  One." — Spurgeon. 


278  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

the  law,  and  tlie  law  cannot  touch  us  when  we 
hide  under  the  canopy  of  his  glorious  mediator- 
hood.  His  cross  is  the  payment  of  our  penalty, 
the  cancelling  of  our  debt,  the  tearing  up  of  the 
bond  or  handwriting  which  was  against  us. 
When  his  blood  is  sprinkled  upon  us,  we  become 
partakers  of  his  death,  we  die  in  him,  we  undergo 
the  sentence  of  the  law  in  him, — and  then  the 
guilt  passes  away.  We  are  counted  in  law,  and 
treated  by  God,  as  men  who  have  paid  the  whole 
penalty  and  been  "  washed  from  their  sins  in 
his  blood."  Though  our  sins  were  as  scarlet, 
they  are  as  white  as  snow;  though  they  were 
red  like  crimson,  they  are  as  wool. 

We  close  with  an  extract  beautifully  illustra- 
tive of  our  subject  from  the  life  of  the  last 
Duchess  of  Gordon :  "  One  night  as  she  lay 
sleepless,  there  appeared  as  if  really  before  her 
eyes  a  white  scroll  unrolled,  ghstening  with 
unearthly  brightness,  and  with  floods  of  vivid 
light  ever  flowing  over  it.  Written  at  the  head 
of  the  scroll  in  large  bright  letters  of  gold,  she 
read  this  inscription,  '  The  Lord  our  righteous- 
ness.'    All    her    darkness  was    dispelled  in   a 


AS  WHITE  AS  SNOW.  279 

moment,  and  by  the  glorious  words  the  Spirit 
imj)rinted  on  her  heart  and  conscience  the  fresh 
seal  of  the  pardon  of  all  her  sins,  she  believed 
and  knew  that  Jesus  was  made  of  God  unto  her 
righteousness,  and  that  his  blood  had  made  her 
whiter  than  snow.  Her  soul  entered  in  a 
moment  into  perfect  rest ;  and  she  rejoiced  in 
the  full  assurance  that  for  her  to  die  that  night 
was  to  depart  and  be  forever  with  the  Lord." 


XIV. 

THE    GREAT    MULTITUDE. 

Rev.  vii.  9-17. 

"After  this  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  mul'titude  which  no 
man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people, 
and  tongues,  stood  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands  ;  and 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying.  Salvation  to  our  God  which 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.  .  .  .  These 
are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have 
washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  iu  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb.  .  .  .  They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither 
thirst  any  more  ;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor 
any  heat.  For  the  Lamb,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne,  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living 
fountains  of  waters  ;  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from 
their  eyes." 


ATE  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  tired 

laborer   raises   his  bended    back   and 

sees  the  sun  wheeling  to  the  west,  he 

comforts  himself  with  the  thought  that 

evening  is  coming,  and  that  he  will  soon  get 

(280) 


THE  GREAT  MULTITUDE.  281 

liome  to  rest.  Tlie  tempest-tossed  mariner 
feels  his  heart  beat  quicker  as  he  descries  the 
hill-tops  of  his  native  shore  rismg  out  of  the 
sea.  And  the  soldier,  during  the  weary  night- 
watch  in  the  bivouac,  when  the  distant  hum 
of  men  and  the  random  shot  tell  of  possible 
death  on  the  morrow,  solaces  himself  with  the 
dream  of  home,  the  loving  welcomes,  and  the  joy 
of  recounting  his  perils  and  hair-breadth  escapes. 
It  is  with  some  such  feehng  that  we  read 
these  words.  The  home-sick  tvill  think  of 
home.  Here  is  the  home  of  the  redeemed — the 
home  of  the  faitliful  laborer,  of  the  heavenward- 
bound  voyager,  of  the  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ.  We  have  vivid  life-like  glimpses  of 
heaven  in  such  words  as  those — "  To-day  thou 
shalt  be  with  me  in  paradise ;"  "  Having  a  deshe 
to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far 
better."  But  in  the  Apocalypse  the  veil  is 
drawn  aside,  heaven's  crystal  doors  are  thrown 
open,  and  the  beloved  disciple,  like  the  shep- 
herds Bunyan  saw  on  the  Delectable  Mountains, 
carries  us  away  to  the  top  of  a  gi'eat  and  high 
mountain,  and  shows  us,  through  the  glass  of 


282  THE  SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

faitli,  the  glories  of  tlie  New  Jerusalem.  Here 
we  have — 

1.  A  vision  of  the  redeemed, 

John  tells  us  he  saw  a  great  multitude  of  all 
nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues. 
We  are  apt  to  think  the  saints  are  few,  and,  like 
Elijah  in  his  fit  of  despondency,  we  sometimes 
make  them  fewer  than  they  are.  We  are  apt  to 
confine  our  regards  to  our  own  country,  perhaps 
to  our  own  church.  We  are  here  assured  that 
when  the  saints  of  all  ages  and  lands  are 
gathered  together,  they  will  form  a  multitude 
innumerable  as  the  stars  of  night,  as  the  sand 
upon  the  sea-shore.  From  the  four  continents 
of  the  world  they  come  :  men  of  all  nations  and 
races,  civilized  and  uncivilized,  bond  and  free — 
Shemitic,  Scandinavian,  Celtic — from  the  snows 
of  Lapland,  and  from  beneath  the  sunny  skies 
of  Italy — French  and  Germans,  Greeks  and 
Kussians,  the  Hindu  and  the  Chinaman,  Africans 
and  Americans — will  gather  around  the  throne 
of  the  Lamb  on  high.^    All  the  distinctions  of 

*  "  See  these  pure  white  clouds  that  stretch,  in  ranks  like 
rolling  waves,  across  the  canopy  of  heaven  in  the  still,  deep 


THE  GEEAT  MULTITUDE.  283 

earth  will  be  forgotten  there.  Not  as  a  Cliurcli- 
man  or  Dissenter,  not  as  an  Episcopalian  or 
Presbyterian,  not  as  a  Baptist  or  Wesleyan 
Methodist,  will  any  man  enter  heaven,  but 
simply  as  a  believer  in  Christ;  and  all  other 
characteristics  will  be  swallowed  up  in  adoring 
love  to  him. 

Think  of  the  joyful  meetings  there  after  the 
bitter  partings  of  earth  !     Sense  dominates  over 

noon  of  a  summer  day.  Eow  after  row  tliey  lie  in  tlie  light, 
opening  their  bosoms  to  the  blaze  of  a  noon-day  sun  :  and 
they  are  all  fair  ;  they  are  '  without  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any 
such  thing. '  "Who  are  these  that  stand,  as  it  were,  around 
the  throne  of  God,  in  white  clothing,  and  whence  came 
they?  These  are  they  that  have  come  from  various  places 
on  the  surface  of  the  earth  and  sea.  Some  have  come  from 
the  briny  ocean,  and  some  from  miry  land  :  some  from  yel- 
low, overflowing  rivers,  and  some  from  cool,  crystal  sxDrings  : 
some  from  stagnant  pools  in  lonely  deserts,  and  some  from 
the  slimy  bed  of  the  Thames  or  the  Clyde,  where  living 
creatures  can  scarcely  breathe  upon  their  banks.  All  are 
alike  welcome  to  these  heavens,  and  all  in  their  resurrection 
state  equally  pure.  May  I,  spiritually  distant  and  unclean — 
may  I  rise,  like  the  snow-white  clouds,  from  earth  to  heaven, 
and  take  my  place  without  challenge  among  the  stainless 
witnesses  who  stand  round  the  Eedeemer's  throne  ?  1  may 
— not  because  my  stains  are  few  ;  but  because  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  God's  Son,  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  I  may — not 
because  my  sins  are  small ;  but  because  my  Saviour  is 
great."— ^rnofs  Roots  and  Fruits,  pp.  36,  37. 


284  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

faitli,  and  it  is  natural  to  us  to  dwell  more  on 
the  partings.  Let  us  raise  our  thoughts  to  the 
joyful  meetings  on  the  resurrection  morning! 
Think  of  the  joyful  surprises  there.  Let  me 
instance  Paul  and  Stephen.  Paul  was  given  to 
the  Church  in  answer  to  Stephen's  dying  prayer : 
but  when  Stephen  fell  asleep,  Saul  held  the 
clothes  of  his  murderers.  His  heart  hard  as  a 
rock,  he  watched  till  the  stones  crashed  in  on 
the  martyr's  brain.  Stephen  would  not  expect 
to  meet  him  in  glory.  Think  of  these  two — the 
prince  of  martyrs  and  the  prince  of  apostles — 
meeting  among  the  nearest  to  the  everlasting 
throne  !  And  many  a  praying  mother  has  died 
commending  her  godless  son  with  an  agony  of 
tears  to  God.  When  she  was  sleeping  quietly 
in  her  shroud,  these  tears  were  instrumental  in 
her  son's  conversion.  With  what  rapture  will 
mother  and  son  meet  on  the  plains  of  heaven ! 

Those  who  oiever  met  here  shall  meet  yonder. 
"  We  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  God."  There  we  shall 
see  Abel,  the  first  martyr  ;  Enoch,  the  first  pro- 
phet, who  "  walked  with  God,  and  was  not,  for 


THE   GKEAT  MULTITUDE.  285 

God  took  liim ; "  Noali,  tlie  preacher  of  right- 
eousness ;  Melchizedec,  King  of  Salem  and 
priest  of  the  most  high  God ;  Moses,  the  great 
lawgiver  ;  Joshua,  who  led  Israel's  host  into  the 
promised  land ;  C  aleb,  who  followed  the  Lord 
fully  ;  David  also,  and  Samuel  and  the  prophets ; 
the  glorious  company  of  the  apostles ;  the  noble 
army  of  martyrs — all  "clothed  with  white 
robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands,  and  crying 
with  a  loud  voice^  Salvation  to  our  God  which 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb." 

Those  who  never  agreed  here  will  meet 
yonder.  The  story  of  the  two  knights  who 
quaiTelled  about  the  shield,  the  one  asserting 
that  it  was  made  of  gold,  the  other  that  it  was 
not  gold  but  silver — is  enacted  even  among 
godly  men  every  day.  The  knights  were  both 
right  and  both  wrong ;  for  they  looked  at 
opposite  sides  of  the  shield,  and  the  one  side 
was  gold,  the  other  silver.  Looking  at  different 
aspects  of  truth,  good  men  draw  different 
conclusions.  Paul  and  Barnabas  quarrelled. 
Barnabas  wished  to  take  Mark  along  with  them 
on   their   second  missionary    tour  ;    Paul   was 


286  THE   SHEPHERD   OE  ISRAEL. 

sternly  opposed  to  tliis.  Dr.  John  Erskine 
wondered  liow  Jolm  Newton  of  Olney  could  live 
in  the  Church  of  England ;  Newton  wondered 
that  Dr.  Erskine  could  live  in  the  Church  of 
Scotland.  Thus  the  wisest  and  best  take  opposite 
sides.  Some  are  in  favor  of  an  establishment, 
some  against  it;  some  are  in  favor  of  infant 
baptism,  some  against  it ;  some  argue  for  the 
use  of  hymns  in  divine  worship,  some  hold  a 
strong  opposite  view;  some  are  in  favor  of 
ecclesiastical  unions,  some  are  wedded  to  their 
own  sect.  But  when  we  reach  the  land  of 
light  and  love — when  we  see  God  face  to  face, 
and  know  even  as  also  we  are  known — there  will 
be  no  discordant  note  ;  but  with  minds  purged 
from  all  darkness,  and  with  hearts  thrilhng  with 
love  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  we  shall  unite 
forever  in  the  holy  melodies  of  heaven. 

2.   Their  past  history. 

(1.)  "They  came  out  of  great  tribulation." 
Like  Jesus,  they  bore  the  cross  on  their  way  to  the 
crown.  The  struggle  with  sin,  the  war  with 
Satan,  the  hidings  of  a  Father's  face,  the  hatred 
of  the  world,  were  so  many  elements  in  their 


THE  GKEAT  MULTITUDE.  287 

tribulation.  Each  had  a  tale  of  suffering  to  tell. 
One  struggled  with  a  hard  and  humble  lot.  One 
lived  in  a  godless  family,  and  was  persecuted  by 
those  of  his  own  house.  One  had  to  work 
among  swearing  comrades.  One  toiled  at  a 
thankless  jDOst  of  duty.  One  had  a  bitter  cup 
of  bodily  affliction  to  drink,  and  tossed  for  years 
on  the  sick-bed.  One  had  to  sigh  and  cry  over 
abounding  iniquity.  Their  trials  were  different, 
but  the  trials  of  all  were  severe.  They  all 
equally  felt  that  we  "  must  through  much  tribu- 
lation enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 

But  they  came  out  of  their  tribulation.  Often 
was  their  case  desperate  enough.  Often  did 
they  say,  "  I  shall  one  day  perish  by  the  hand 
of  Saul."  Often  were  they  like  the  disciples  in 
the  storm,  when  the  waves  leaped  into  the  ship 
and  they  were  in  jeopardy ;  or  like  Paul  and  his 
fellow-voyagers,  tossed  up  and  down  in  Adiia, 
while  neither  sun  nor  stars  in  many  days 
appeared,  and  all  hope  that  they  should  be 
saved  was  taken  away :  but  Jesus  wAs  in  the 
ship  all  the  while,  though  he  lay  in  the  hinder 
part  asleep  on  a  pillow ;  so  that,  in  spite  of  the 


288  THE  SHEPHEKD   OF  ISRAEL. 

swelling  seas,  tliey  readied  the  shore  in  safety, 
and  entered  full-sail  into  the  haven  of  Im- 
manuel's  Land. 

' '  When  the  shore  is  won  at  last, 
Who  will  count  the  billows  jDast?" 

(2.)  "  They  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb."  They  were 
once  black ; — covered  with  spots  of  gnilt  and 
spots  of  corrnption, — scarlet  and  crimson  spots, 
— sins  in  thought,  word,  and  deed, — sins  original 
and  actual, — sins  against  the  law  and  sins 
against  the  gospel, — sins  more  in  number  than 
the  hairs  of  their  heads.  But  they  washed  their 
robes  and  made  them  white.  They  received 
Christ  for  sanctification  as  well  as  for  justifica- 
tion. His  blood  made  them  whiter  than  snow. 
Not  only  did  they  receive  the  spotless  robe  of 
his  righteousness  when  first  they  came  to  the 
cross,  but  they  came  every  day  anew  to  the 
cleansing  Fountain  to  have  their  defilements 
washed  away.  It  was  a  life-long  act.  They 
washed  their  robes  every  day.  Every  day 
afresh  they  said : 


THE   GKEAT   MULTITUDE.  289 

•'I  lay  my  sins  on  Jesus, 

The  spotless  Lamb  of  God  ; 
He  bears  tliem  all,  and  frees  us 
From  the  accursed  load. 

*'  I  bring  my  guilt  to  Jesus 
To  wash  my  crimson  stains 
White  in  his  blood  most  precious, 
Till  not  a  spot  remains." 

3.   Their  future  blessedness. 

By  a  few  inimitable  touclies  it  is  portrayed — 
"  Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne  of  God, 
and  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple ;  and 
lie  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  among 
them.  They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst 
any  more  ;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them, 
nor  any  heat.  For  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  thi'one  shall  feed  them,  and  shall 
lead  them  unto  Hving  fountains  of  waters  :  and 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  fi'om  theK  eyes." 

Brother!  here  is  your  home,  the  kingdom 
prepared  for  you.  Live  more  in  heaven.  Set 
your  affection  on  things  above.  Learn  the  new 
song.     Lisp  it  if  you  cannot  sing  it. 

One  evening  lately,  after  a  day  of  pleasant 
labor  in  company  with  a  brother  beloved,  I 
19 


290  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

drew  near  my  home.  It  was  the  house  of  a 
friend.  The  night  was  dark  as  we  struck  across 
a  wide  plain.  At  its  farther  edge  flowed  a  deep, 
rapid  river,  which  must  be  crossed.  There  was 
no  landmark  near  to  guide,  but  my  fi'iend  had 
promised  to  put  a  light  in  the  window,  and  had 
bid  us  cry  as  we  approached  the  river — the 
signal  to  him  to  send  a  messenger  to  convey  us 
across.  Even  before  we  cried  we  saw  the 
friendly  light  shining  clear  through  the  darkness 
high  on  the  farther  shore ;  it  could  be  seen 
miles  away.  As  we  drew  near  the  brink  with 
wary  steps,  and  heard  the  murmur  of  the 
waters,  we  saw  another  hght  below  coming 
nearer  and  nearer.  Our  cries  had  been  heard. 
The  messenger  was  on  his  way  to  meet  us. 
We  heard  his  kind  voice,  and  his  strong  arm 
took  us  soon  over.  Amid  loving  welcomes, 
how  soon  were  our  toils  forgotten ! 

Thus,  brother,  do  you  often  walk  in  darkness 
and  have  no  light.  With  wary  and  trembling 
feet  you  approach  the  dark  river.  Your  flesh 
and  heart  fail  as  you  hear  the  rushing  of  its 
waters.     But,  oh,  there's  a  light  in  the  loindow 


THE   GREAT   MULTITUDE. 


291 


for  you.  Your  Elder  Brother  is  waiting.  The 
pearly  gate  is  open.  The  mansion  is  ready. 
The  flag  of  invitation  waves  from  the  golden 
towers.  And  if  you  cry  as  you  a^Dproach  the 
brink — cry  aloud — lo^dng  angels  will  come,  and 
bear  you  up  and  away  until  they  set  you  down 
among  the  great  multitude  before  the  throne 
and  before  the  Lamb.     There  may  we  arrive  ! 


€wwm'-mmmm 


XV. 

TIMES    OF    EEFEESHING. 

Acts  iv.  31-33. 

"  And  when  they  had  prayed,  the  place  was  shaken  whero 
they  were  assembled  together  ;  and  they  were  all  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they  spake  the  word  of  God  with  bold- 
ness. And  the  multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one 
heart  and  of  one  soul  :  neither  said  any  of  them  that  aught 
of  the  things  which  he  xjossessed  was  his  own  ;  but  they  had 
all  things  common.  And  ynth  great  power  gave  the  apostles 
witness  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus  :  and  great 
grace  was  upon  them  all." 

j^^  EKE  is  a  pliotograpli  of  the  pentecostal 

^^    cliurcli.     Her  ascended  Lord  had  sent 

the  promise  of  the  Father.     The  Spirit 

had  come  down  Hke  a  rushing  mighty 

wind.     Three  thousand  souls  were  converted  in  a 

day.     "  The   Lord   added  to  the   church   daily 

such  as  should  be  saved."     At  the  fourth  verse 

(2')2) 


TIMES   OF   EEFPtESHING.  293 

it  is  said  that  "  the  number  of  the  disciples  was 
about  five  thousand."  A  movement  was  begun 
whose  effects  were  to  reach  to  the  ends  of  tlie 
earth. 

There  is  an  idea  in  some  minds  that  the  out- 
pouring of  the  Sj)irit  at  Pentecost  was  an  ex- 
ceptional thing,  not  to  be  repeated  and  not  to 
be  expected,  and  that  the  Church  in  her  normal 
state  has  no  warrant  to  look  for  such  wonderful 
manifestations.  Now,  it  is  nowhere  said  in  the 
Bible  that  we  need  never  expect  another  Pente- 
cost. On  the  contrary,  if  we  look  at  the  clusters 
of  promises  on  this  head  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments — such  as  :  "  He  shall  come  down  hke 
rain  upon  the  mown  grass,  as  showers  that  water 
the  earth  ;"  "I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is 
thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground ;"  "I 
will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  Jeiiisalem,  the  Spirit  of  grace 
and  of  supphcations ;"  "  And  when  he  is  come, 
he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  right- 
eousness, and  of  judgment " — the  plenteous  rain 
of  Pentecost  is  what  we  should  naturally  expect. 
The  Spirit  is  to  abide  with  the  Church  forever. 


294  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

He  waits  to  enricli  her  with  the  river  of  God, 
Tvliich  is  full  of  water.  He  will  not  cease  to 
descend  until  the  last  of  the  redeemed  is  gathered 
in.  So  that,  if  we  prayed  with  the  same  expec- 
tancy as  the  hundred  and  twenty  in  the  upper 
room ;  if  we  received  the  same  baptism  of  fire, 
and  delivered  our  great  message  with  the  same 
simple  trust  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  we 
should  see  the  signs  of  Pentecost  again.  The 
Church  of  the  apostles  should  be  our  standard. 
How  far  we  have  fallen !  Has  not  the  tide 
receded  so  far  that  we  are  apt  to  think  there  is 
no  hope  of  such  a  flood-time  of  the  Spirit  again, 
and  that  we  must  adapt  ourselves  to  a  state  of 
ebb-tide?  Is  the  Church  not  in  danger  of 
resting  satisfied  if  she  moves  in  her  well-known 
grooves,  and  plies  her  scriptural  means  and 
organizations,  although  the  life  and  power  of  the 
Spirit  be  not  there  ?  And  as  the  invalid  who 
has  long  lain  on  the  sick-bed,  or  been  wheeled 
about  in  his  chair,  regards  as  impossible  what 
is  but  healthful  exercise  to  a  strong  man,  so  if 
disease  has  become  the  normal  condition  of  a 
church,  she  will  regard  the  life,  and  love,  and 


TBIE3   OF   REFRESHING.  295 

jo  J  of  tlie  apostolic  Church  as  preternatural. 
She  will  cease  to  expect  times  of  refL'eshing. 
She  will  preach  without  expecting  the  conversion 
of  souls. 

To  correct  this  evil,  God  has  visited  his 
Church  with  times  of  refreshing  in  all  ages. 
Within  the  last  few  years  successive  waves  of 
blessing  have  rolled  over  our  land ;  and  the 
scenes  witnessed  in  manj^  places  might  be 
described  in  the  words  at  the  head  of  this 
chapter.  It  w^as  Pentecost  over  again.  It  was 
like  harvest  home.  You  heard  the  vintage-songs. 
The  change  Avas  as  great  as  the  change  from 
winter  to  summer,  from  the  poles  to  the  tropics. 
"  Just  as  if  the  temperature  of  this  northern 
hemisphere  were  raised  suddenly,  and  a  miglitj^ 
tropical  river  w^ere  to  pour  its  fertilizing  inun- 
dation over  the  country."  ^ 

God  loves  his  wonderful  Avorhs  to  be  remem- 
bered. With  the  view  of  stirring  up  your  pure 
minds  by  w^ay  of  remembrance,  we  shall  speak — 
first,  of  the /acts,  and  then  of  the  lessons. 

*  Eoberfcson's  Sermons,  iii.  36. 


296  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

I.   The  Fads. 

It  was  in  the  year  1858  that  God  visited 
America  with  such  a  remarkable  outpouring  of 
his  Spirit,  that,  according  to  the  most  authentic 
testimonies,  nine  hundred  thousand  sords  were 
conyerted.  "^  The  facts  were  so  starthng  that  at 
first  they  did  not  produce  any  deep  or  general 
impression.  So  little  was  the  subject  regarded 
for  some  time,  that  the  following  year,  in  his 
opening  address  to  the  General  Assembly,  Prin- 
cipal Cunningham  used  these  words  :  "  The 
American  revival  has  not  yet  excited  the  atten- 
tion or  produced  the  practical  results  in  this 
country  which  might  reasonably  have  been  ex- 
cited, and  the  churches  here  ought  to  beware  of 
letting  this  most  impressive  manifestation  pass 
by  unimproved." 

In  May,  1859,  the  most  surprising  accounts 
began  to  appear  in  the  pubhc  prints  of  what 
God  was  doing  in  Ulster.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
tide  of  blessing  had  crossed  the  Atlantic.  Hun- 
dreds of  earnest  men  and  ministers  from  this 
country  went  across,  and,  like  Barnabas,  they 

*  "The  Power  of  Prayer-"    By  Samuel  J.  Prime,  D.D. 


TIMES   OF  REFKESHING.  297 

"  saw  the  gi'ace  of  God  and  were  glad."  It  is 
true  that  public  opinion  for  a  time  was  divided. 
Some,  looking  at  the  strildng  physical  man- 
ifestations connected  vdth.  the  work  at  first,  and 
others,  who  were  rather  marvelmongers  than  rev- 
erent observers  of  God's  majestic  outgoings,  did 
not  scruple  to  say  that  it  was  all  a  delusion. 
But  the  Avork  soon  declared  itself.  And  when 
they  saw  the  whole  of  Ulster  shaking  like  the 
valley  of  dry  bones — when  they  saw  churches 
open  every  night,  and  heard  in  densely  crowded 
assemblies  the  cry  for  mercy — when  at  every 
meeting  they  heard  from  the  Kps  of  the  awaken- 
ed words  like  these,  "I  have  found  peace  in 
Jesus ;  he  has  taken  my  burden  off ;  his  blood 
has  washed  me  ;  he  is  altogether  lovely  " — when 
they  heard  the  voice  of  praise  and  prayer  fi^om 
every  dwelling,  so  that,  passing  along  the  streets 
of  Coleraine,  one  said  to  another,  "  There's  no- 
thing but  praying  here  " — ^when  they  saw  dmnk- 
ards  becoming  sober,  swearers  God-fearing,  pub- 
licans and  harlots  pressing  into  the  kingdom, 
and  every  form  of  vice  hiding  its  head — when 
they  saw  popish  priests  railing  at  the  work  as 


293  THE    SHEPHEED    OF   ISRAEL. 

"  all  madness,"  or  affecting  to  despise  it,  lilve  the 
sclioolboy  wlio  tries  to  wliistle  when  he  is  afraid 
— when  they  saw  godly  ministers  of  all  deno- 
minations, Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  Wes- 
leyans,  Baptists,  Independents,  rejoicing  in  God's 
wonderful  works,  and  recognizing  their  com- 
mon brotherliood  in  Christ  in  a  manner  previ- 
ously unknown — the  most  sceptical  were  com- 
pelled to  bow  their  heads,  and  say,  "  This  is  the 
finger  of  God  !  "  - 

The  blessed  tide  flowed  across  to  the  shores 
of  Scotland.  Ministers  came  home  with  a  new 
fire  burning  in  their  hearts,  and  told  their 
people  what  they  had  seen.  They  were  like 
men  that  dreamed.  The  rest  is  well  known. 
The  leaven  spread.  The  work  extended  in 
some  places  like  fire  in  a  prairie.  The  summer 
of  1859  will  be  forever  remembered  by  many 
as  the  time  of  their  espousals  to  Christ.  The 
Wynd  church  in  Glasgow  became  the  centre  of 
a  blessed  movement  which  spread  over  the  city. 
That  church  became  the  parent  of  at  least  seven 
Home  Mission  congregations ;  and  the  record 
*  "The  Year  of  Grace."    By  William  Gibson,  D.D. 


TIMES   OF   EEFKESHING.  299 

of  tlie  revival  tliere,  in  the  Eev.  D.  M'Coll's 
remarkable  work,  "  Among  the  Masses ;  or, 
Work  in  the  Wynds,"  is  one  of  the  most  thrill- 
ing chapters  in  the  religious  history  of  Scotland. 
The  quickening  breath  blew  over  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land,  from  the  Solway  to  Shet- 
land, and  from  Gantjri'e  to  Lewis.  Wonderful 
how  those  classes  that  had  been  most  estranged 
from  the  house  of  God  received  the  largest 
share  of  the  blessing.  Every  one  knows  how 
much  our  sailors  and  fishermen,  our  mining  and 
manufacturing  population,  and  especially  our 
farm-servants  in  districts  where  the  bothy 
system  prevails,  were  neglected  in  other  days. 
These  classes  were  awakened  in  largest  numbers. 
The  seaports  all  round  our  shores,  from  Eye- 
mouth to  Kirkwall,  and  fi'om  C  ampbelto\\Ti  to 
Stornoway,  received  the  pentecostal  shower. 
You  might  hear  the  sound  of  psalms  from 
fisliing-boats.  Mining  and  manufactm^mg  towns, 
despite  unsightly  chimneys,  and  forges,  and 
smoke,  became  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord.  And 
among  the  agricultural  class,  so  wide-spread 
w^as  the  blessing,  that  revivals,  which  in  other 


300  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

circumstances  had  been  very  remarkable,  in 
wMcli  two  or  three  hundred  souls  were  converted, 
hardly  attracted  any  notice.  At  a  conference 
in  the  Sjniod  of  Glasgow  and  Ayr  upon  the 
subject,  in  1861,  a  brother — ^referring  to  the 
awakenings  at  Biggar,  SMrling,  Symington, 
Stonehouse — observed,  "  So  great  is  the  change, 
that,  had  it  happened  twenty  years  ago,  say,  at 
the  time  of  the  Kilsyth  revival,  the  attention  of 
the  whole  country  would  have  been  arrested 
upon  it :  and  had  it  been  foretold  twenty  years 
ago,  men  would  have  said,  like  the  unbelieving 
lord  in  Samaria,  'Behold,  if  the  Lord  would 
make  mndows  in  heaven,  might  tlris  thing  be  ?'" 
But  the  movement  was  not  confined  to  Scot- 
land. From  Wales,  from  various  parts  of  Eng- 
land, especially  seaports,  from  Sweden,  from 
many  of  our  colonial  outposts,  there  came  tid- 
ings of  an  "  abundant  rain."  London's  mighty 
heart  was  stirred.  Theatres  became  houses  of 
prayer — the  birthplaces  of  precious  souls.  Co- 
temporaneously  with  this,  the  Great  Head  of 
the  Church  raised  up  a  goodly  staff  of  lay 
agents,  to  reach  those  not  to  be  got  at  by  the 


TBIES   OF  REFKESHING.  301 

ordinary  agencies.  "  He  took  a  BroTviilow 
North  from  the  hunting-field,  a  Blackwood 
from  the  Qneen's  Conrt,  a  Weaver  fi'om  the 
coalpit,  a  Carter  from  liis  sooty  chimneys ! "  ■^' 
The  regular  ministry  is  never  more  needed, 
and  never  more  prized,  than  in  times  of  re- 
vival ;  but  there  will  always  be  many  volun- 
teers to  tell  the  wonderful  story  of  a  Saviour's 
love.  The  labors  of  MacdowaU  Grant,  Kad- 
chffe,  Duncan  Matheson,  Hammond,  and  others, 
were  mdely  blessed.  "  May  He  stiU  spare  us 
these  worthy  laborers,  and  add  unhmitedly  to 
their  number,  calling  the  shopman  fi'om  the 
counter,  the  soldier  from  the  ranks,  the  lawyer 
from  the  bar,  the  rich  man  from  his  club,  by  his 
irresistible  but  gxacious  message,  '  The  Lord 
hath  need  of  thee.'  "  t 

*  Milne's  "Gatherings,"  p.  149. 

t  At  a  Conference  of  ministers  and  elders  in  St.  Enoch's, 
Glasgow,  in  April,  1861,  where  several  hundreds  were  present 
— the  question.  How  the  recognition  of  lay  agents  would 
affect  the  standing  of  the  ministry,  was  discussed  among 
other  topics.  Mr,  Arnot  said,  "  If  the  minister  is  like  a  post 
stuck  in  the  mud,  when  the  tide  rises  it  buries  him,  and  he 
deserves  to  be  buried  ;  but  if  he  is  like  a  ship  freighted  with 
precious  cargo,  the  higher  the  tide  rises,  the  higher  does  he 
rise  along  vdih.  it." 


302  THE   SHEPHEliD   OF  ISKAEL. 

Two  tilings  must  be  remembered :  First, 
Wherever  tlie  Holy  Spirit  is  working,  Satan  is 
hasy.  Second,  In  times  of  awakening,  ministers 
and  others  cannot  be  too  careful  in  discriminating 
hetiveen  true  and  false  aiuaJcenings,  and  in  guarding 
against  excesses  and  extravagances.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  lay  too  much  stress  upon  these  things. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  must  beware  of  looking 
coldly  on  a  work  of  God,  because  it  does  not 
tally  with  our  preconceived  notions,  and  is  not 
in  accordance  mth  our  line  of  things.  Let  us 
rather  say,  Lord,  work  ichere,  icJien,  and  as  thou 
wilt! 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  some  gave  way  to 
prejudice  against  the  recent  awakenings,  and 
that  even  good  men  stood  aloof.  Mainly  on  two 
grounds.  Dread  of  excitement  and  Suspicion  of  sud- 
den conversion. 

1.  In  regard  to  dread  of  excitement,  it  is  to  be 
observed  that  every  rehgious  awakening  that 
has  been  at  aU  widespread,  has  been  attended 
■\\dtli  gTeat  excitement.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
the  peoj)le  were  "  all  amazed,"  and  there  must 
have  been  a  strange  commotion  when  three  thou- 


TIMES   OF   EEFRESHING.  303 

sand  cried  out  at  once,  "  Men  and  brethren,  wliat 
shall  we  do  ?  "  ^  Paul  preached  at  Troas  all 
liight.  It  must  have  been  an  exciting  time. 
Festns  thought  Paul  excited,  and  "  said,  with  a 
lond  Toice,  Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself ;  much 
learning  doth  make  thee  mad.  But  he  said,  I 
am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus  ;  but  speak  forth 
the  words  of  truth  and  soberness."  In  1742, 
when  a  harvest  of  two  thousand  souls  was  reaped 
in  Cambuslang,  Kilsyth,  and  other  places  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Glasgow,  the  vastest  audiences 
Scotland  ever  saw,  shook  like  trees  bending  to 
the  blast,  under  the  appeals  of  Whitefield.  By 
far  the  most  impressive  reminiscence  of  my 
childhood  is,  being  present  one  drizzly  day,  in  a 
Highland  gorge,  filled  with  thousands  who  had 
flocked  near  and  far  to  hear  that  apostle  of  God, 
John  Macdonald  ;  and  as  the  strong-spoken  man 
poured  forth  his  fervid  message  in  the  Gaelic  he 
loved  so  well,  the  trumpet-like  voice  went  pealing 
through  the  crowd,  conquering  the  patter  of  the 
rain  on  the  forest  of  umbrellas  ;  and  long  before 
he  was  done,  the  place  became  a  Bochim,  a 
*  "The  Tongue  of  Fire,"  p.  91. 


SOi  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

place  of  weepers.  There  was  great  excitement 
in  St.  Leonard's,  Perth,  and  St.  Peter's,  Dun- 
dee, in  1839.  ^'"     Once   more,  when   minister   of 

*  "I  would  remark  tlie  unusual  and  long-continuing  thirst- 
ing for  tlie  Word  whicli  tlie  people  manifested.  Niglit  after 
night,  for  many  weeks,  the  church  was  one  dense  mass  of 
human  beings,  all  the  passages  being  crowded  with  persons 
who  remained  standing  for  hours  together,  and  seemingly 
inaccessible  to  weariness  and  fatigue.  I  would  remark  also 
the  deep,  solemn,  almost  awful  attention  which  they  main- 
tained during  the  whole  of  the  services.  I  would  observe, 
also,  that  the  awakening  extended  to  many  miles  around. 
Persons  frequently  came  in  from  great  distances  to  attend 
the  meetings,  and  returned  home  through  the  night.  I  may 
also  remark,  that  one  of  the  things  which  was  most  to  be 
regretted,  during  the  awakening,  was  the  want  of  a  suflBLcient 
number  of  judicious,  experienced  Christians  to  take  charge 
of  prayer-meetings,  which  were,  therefore,  necessarily  in- 
trusted to  young  men.  And  now,  though  it  was  to  me  a 
time  of  much  labor  and  anxiety,  I  look  back  with  thankful- 
ness that  I  was  privileged  to  see  such  a  season  ;  and  it  is  my 
desire  and  prayer  that  I  may  yet  see  similar  days  of  the  right 
hand  of  the  Most  High." — Kev.  John  Melne.  Evidence  on 
Bevivals,  taken  before  a  Committee  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Aberdeen  in  1841,  p.  60. 

"I  have  been  led  to  examine,  with  particular  care,  the  ac- 
counts that  have  been  left  us  of  the  Lord's  marvellous  works 
in  the  days  that  are  past,  both  in  our  own  land  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  in  order  that  I  might  compare  these  with 
what  has  lately  taken  place  in  Dundee  and  in  other  parts  of 
Scotland.  In  doing  this,  I  have  been  fully  convinced,  that 
the  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  at  the  Kirk  of  Shotts,  and 
again,  a  century  after,  at  Cambuslang,  etc.,  in  Scotland,  and 


TIMES   OF  EEFEESHING.  305 

Stomoway,  I  often  heard  old  men  speak  of  the 
fainting  in  the  island  of  Lewis,  more  than  forty 
years  ago,  when  a  great  awakening  took  place, 
attended  by  substantially  the  same  physical 
manifestations  recently  seen  in  Ulster  and  else- 
where. On  all  these  occasions,  God  was  mani- 
festly carrying  on  his  work.  Men  were  in  awful 
earnest.  Earth  was  brought  near  to  heaven. 
But  there  was  great  bodily  excitement — groans, 
sobs,  faintings.  In  some  cases,  persons  were 
helplessly  prostrated,  and  had  to  be  carried  out 
of  the  church.  Do  we  approve  of  excitement  ? 
Do  we  approve  of  preaching  all  night  as  Paul 
did  at  Troas  ?     Yes,  if  necessary.     And  would  to 

under  the  ministry  of  President  Edwards  in  America,  was 
attended  by  the  very  same  appearances  as  the  work  in  our 
day.  Indeed,  so  completely  do  they  seem  to  agree,  both  in 
their  nature  and  in  the  circumstances  that  attended  them, 
that  I  have  not  heard  a  single  objection  brought  against  the 
work  of  God  now,  which  was  not  urged  against  it  in  former 
times,  and  that  has  not  been  most  scripturally  and  triumph- 
antly removed  by  Mr.  Eobe  in  his  narrative,  and  by  Presi- 
dent Edwards  in  his  invaluable  '  Thoughts  on  the  Eevival  of 
Eeligion  in  New  England. '  '  And  certainly  we  must  throw 
by  all  talk  of  conversion  and  Christian  experience  ;  and  not 
only  so,  but  we  must  throw  by  our  Bibles,  and  give  up  re- 
ligion, if  this  be  not  in  general  the  work  of  God.'  " — E.  M. 
M'Cheyne.  Memoir  and  Remains,  p.  501. 
20 


30G  THE   SHEPHEED    OF   ISEAEL. 

God  that  we  liacl  to  sit  up  till  three  in  the 
morning,  hke  some  brethren  we  saw  in  Ulster, 
dealing  with  those  who  conld  not  suppress  the 
cry—"  What  shah  we  do  ?  " 

Is  onr  dread  of  excitement  a  mark  of  spmtual 
life?  Is  it  well  that  crowded  prayer-meetings, 
sermons  every  night,  daily  prayer-meetings  in 
town-haUs  at  early  hours  in  the  morning,  are  so 
rare?  Have  we  not  more  to  fear  from  world- 
hness,  greed,  pride,  formahty,  rehgious  indiffer- 
entism,  Sabbath-breaking,  druukenness,  secret 
vice,  death,  than  from  religious  excitement? 
Many  a  man  has  never  shed  a  tear  for  his  sins. 
If  another  weeps  for  his,  some  call  it  excitement. 
Many  never  attend  a  prayer-meeting,  and  if  they 
see  others  crowdmg  to  such  meetings  they  call  it 
excitement.  If  they  hear  of  a  prayer-meeting 
in  a  warehouse,  or  factory,  or  town-hall ;  of  mill- 
girls  assembling  for  prayer  at  the  meal-hour,  of 
week  evening  services,  they  caU  it  excitement. 
When  Johnson  asked  a  blessing,  he  sometimes 
gave  a  long  prayer.  The  wits  of  his  time  called 
it  a  mild  madness.  The}^  would  not  have  called 
him  mad  if  he  had  not  asked  a  blessing  at  aU. 


TIMES   OF  EEFRESHING.  307 

People  get  excited  enougli  about  shipping  dis- 
asters, the  sto]3page  of  some  great  house,  the 
depreciation  of  stock,  the  high  price  of  cotton ; 
and  thej  iucnr  no  blame.  It  is  only  when  they 
are  absorbed  mth  thoughts  of  God  and  eternity 
that  tlieu'  excitement  is  blameworthy.  When  the 
Western  Bank  broke,  some  went  mad,  some 
destroyed  themselves,  some  sank  into  life-long 
melancholy.  You  sympathize  with  the  bank- 
rupt's distress  ;  but  if  a  man  feels  himself  bank- 
rupt in  soul — in  danger  of  a  loss  which,  in  the 
words  of  Kobert  Hall,  "  it  will  take  eternity  to 
deplore,  and  eternity  to  comprehend" — if  he 
passes  through  the  same  struggle  as  Paul, 
Augustine,  Luther,  Bunyan,  Pascal — you  call 
it  excitement.  One  may  stay  till  morning 
at  the  ball  or  theatre  without  being  accused 
of  keeping  late  hours;  but  if  he  is  late  at  a 
sermon,  he  is  charged  with  excitement,  keep- 
ing late  hours,  and  disturbing  his  family. 
It  seems  strange  that  it  is  right  to  be  ex- 
cited about  the  passing  trifles  of  a  day,  and 
wrong  to  be  excited  about  things  of  eternal 
moment.     It    seems    passing    strange    that  it 


308  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

should  be  wise  for  creatures,  hastening  to  the 
grave  and  the  judgment-seat,  to  give  their  whole 
thought  to  their  shops,  and  their  farms,  and 
their  manufactures,  while  it  is  but  hare-brained 
excitement  to  give  their  whole  thought  to  the 
salvation  of  their  souls. 

But  it  is  said,  "  Do  you  not  object  to  the  ex- 
travagances that  attend  revivals?"  We  reply, 
A  stage-coach  cannot  run  without  raising  dust. 
I  would  not  drive  the  coach  to  raise  dust,  but 
I  would  not  stop  it  because  dust  is  raised.  I 
would  drive  on,  and  never  mind  the  dust. 
"  Through  human  weakness,  excitement  and  even 
occasional  extravagances  have  attended  most 
great  re\ivals.  But  of  what  amount,  at  this 
day,  are  the  extravagances  which  attended 
the  revivals  of  last  century,  while  the  benefits 
remain  ?  If  we  are  to  be  used  as  instruments, 
en'ors  and  weaknesses  in  abundance  may  be 
counted  upon.  But,  oh !  let  souls  be  saved ; 
let  the  dead  be  quickened;  let  the  filthy  be 
cleansed  in  the  precious  blood ;  let  our  jails 
be  emptied,  our  taverns  deserted,  our  streets 
piu'ified  from  vice;  let  the  churches   and   the 


TBIES   OF  KEFEESHINGL  309 

nations  be  roused  with  a  miglity  awakening, 
even  though  human  infirmity  displayed  itself 
once  more."  "  I  have  never  seen  wide-spread 
concern  in  a  congregation  that  did  not  leave 
precious  fruits  behind.  Satan  was  busy — 
some  went  back  and  walked  no  more  with  Jesus 
— blossoms  of  comdction  fell  thick  in  the  blast 
■ — but  fruit  was  gathered  to  life  eternal. 

2.  In  regard  to  sudden  conversion,  I  observe 
that  the  quickening  of  the  dead  is  the  work  of  a 
moment.  The  difference  between  death  and  life 
is  not  one  of  degree,  but  of  nature.  There  was 
a  moment  when  Lazarus  in  his  grave  heard  the 
voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  walked  forth  again 
a  living  man.  There  is  a  moment  when  the 
dead  soul  hears  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  and 
lives.  If  the  work  depended  upon  man,  it  would 
be  slow ;  but  he  can  do  it  in  a  twinkhng.  He 
breathes  upon  you,  and  you  hve.  No  doubt  the 
Bible  makes  frequent  use  of  one  important 
analogy — the  growth  of  seed  in  the  ground — to 
show  that  the  secrecy  and  gTaduahiess  of  the 
processes  of  vegetable   physiology  have  their 

*  W.  Arthur. 


310  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISEAEL. 

parallel  in  tlie  slow  and  secret  ripening  of  the 
Spirit's  work  in  tlie  soul ;  but,  lest  we  should 
carry  this  too  far,  and  make  a  pillow  of  what  is 
intended  to  be  a  prop  to  the  faith  and  hope  of 
the  Christian  laborer,  it  speaks  of  a  nation 
born  in  a  day,  of  souls  flying  as  a  cloud  and  as 
doves  to  their  windows,  of  laborers  going  forth 
to  reap  the  harvest,  of  three  thousand  pricked 
in  their  hearts,  and  saying,  "  Men  and  brethren, 
what  shall  we  do  ?" 

It  is  on  the  genuineness  of  conversion  that 
the  Scriptures  lay  stress,  not  on  its  slowness 
or  suddenness.  Many  cases  of  sudden  conver- 
sion are  recorded  there,  and  will  occur  to  every 
one.  Matthew  the  publican,  James  and  John, 
Philip  and  the  woman  of  Samaria,  Zaccheus 
and  the  dying  thief,  the  Ethiopian  and  Saul, 
Lydia  and  the  jailer,  were  all  suddenly  con- 
verted. And  Saul's  conversion  was  attended 
with  extraordinary  physical  manifestations.  He 
was  struck  dotvn.  He  was  blind  for  three  days. 
His  own  account  of  the  result  is,  "  I  was  aHve 
without  the  law  once,  but  when  the  command- 
ment came,  sin  revived,  and  I  died."     Perhaps 


TIMES   OF   KEFEESHING.  311 

you  have  known  a  case  where  a  prodigal,  long 
deaf  as  a  stone  to  a  father's  counsels  and  a 
mother's  praj^ers,  after  a  career  of  waywardness, 
was  laid  on  the  sick-bed — brought  face  to  face 
with  eternity  ;  and  the  warnings  of  other  days 
came  back,  his  heart  was  touched,  his  glazed 
eye  caught  sight  of  the  cross,  and  with  his 
faltering  breath  he  committed  his  soul  to 
Jesus ! 

The  Bible  definition  of  conversion,  be  it  slow 
ox  sudden,  is  " turning  to  the  LordJ'  Sbud  "  cleav- 
ing to  Mm  icitli  purpose  of  lieart  f'  and  the  test  is, 
"  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  hnoiv  them.'''  In  dealing 
with  awakened  persons,  the  great  aim  must  be 
to  discover  whether  they  have  really  tui'ned  to 
the  Lord,  and  are  bringing  forth  fruits  meet  for 
repentance. 

II.   The  Lessons. 

1.  "  The  disciples  prayed  until  the  place  w^as 
shaken  where  they  were  assembled  together." 
They  had  power  with  God,  and  therefore  they 
had  power  with  men.  Prayer  is  more  powerful 
than  preaching.     It  is  in  the   closet  that  the 


312  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISEAEL. 

battle  is  lost  or  won.  Could  we  but  wrestle 
with  tlie  Angel  like  Jacob ;  conld  we  but  pray 
for  rain  lilie  Elijab  !  It  was  when  Ezekiel  prayed, 
"  Come  from  the  four  mnds,  O  breath,  and  breathe 
upon  these  slain,  that  they  may  hve,"  that  the 
dry  bones  stood  up  upon  their  feet,  an  exceeding 
great  army.  We  must  go  and  do  likewise.  "We 
must  pray  until  the  place  is  shaken.  In  June, 
1861,  a  great  assembly  met  on  the  South  Inch  of 
Perth — John  Milne  prayed,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
the  very  ground  were  shaken  at  the  presence  of 
God.  "We  wiU  give  ourselves  continually  to 
prayer." 

2.  They  were  aU  ''filled  tvitJi  the  Holy  Gliostr 
They  are  strong  who  are  filled  T\dth  him  :  they 
are  weak  who  are  not.  The  disciples  thought 
and  spoke,  Hved  and  labored,  in  the  Sphit. 
Without  liim,  the  best  organized  church  is  Hke 
a  ship  without  wind,  like  machinery  without 
steam  power,  like  a  cannon  primed  and  ready, 
but  without  the  spark  which  would  make  it  strike 
like  the  thunderbolt!  "Filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost!"  What  an  attainment!  Those  who 
made  a  near  approach  to  it  have  left  shiaing 


TIMES   OF  KEFEESHING.  313 

paths  beliind :  Charles  of  Bala,  of  whom  they 
said  that  "  it  was  a  good  sermon  to  see  hhn,"— 
Brainerd,  who  labored  like  an  angel  among  the 
North  American  Indians,  and  whose  diary  is 
one  of  the  most  precious  uninspired  directories 
for  hving  a  heavenly  life  upon  earth, — Nettleton, 
who  preached  with  such  power  that  thirty  thou- 
sand were  awakened  under  liis  ministry.  We 
need  many  qualifications  to  fit  us  for  Christ's 
service  :  but  none  half  so  much  as — being  filled 
with  tJie  Holy  Ghost.  "  "Woe  is  me  :  for  I  am 
undone  :  for  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips." 

3.  "  They  spake  the  Word  of  God  with  bold- 
ness." "  They  spake  boldly  in  the  Lord."  (Acts 
xiv.  3.)  They  spake  as  ambassadors  for  Christ. 
They  dehvered  the  King's  message.  They  spake 
with  his  authority. 

Not  the  apostles  only.  All  the  disciples. 
"  They  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
they  spake."  A  hundred  hands  are  needed  on 
the  busy  harvest-field .  Ministers  gather  sheaves, 
others  glean  and  gather  ears  of  corn.  "Let 
him  that  heareth  say,  Come."  "All  that  fear 
God,  come,  hear,  I'll   tell  what  he  did  for  my 


314  THE   SHEPHEED    OF   ISRAEL. 

soul."  Remember  the  blind  man  whose  eyes 
were  opened — how  he  testified  to  friends  and 
foes — "  One  thing  T  know,  that  whereas  I  was 
blind,  now  I  see."  A  babe  in  Christ  can  say, 
"  Come."  In  our  great  towns  and  mining  dis- 
tricts, there  are  multitudes  whom  the  regular 
ministry  cannot  reach.  "The  Master  hath 
need  of  you.  Although  every  minister  were  as 
a  flaming  fire  in  the  service  of  his  God,  every 
bishojD  were  a  Latimer,  every  reformer  were  a 
Knox,  every  preacher  were  a  Whitefield,  every 
missionary  were  a  Martyn,  the  work  is  gxeater 
than  ministers  can  accomplish.""^  "  Would  God 
that  all  the  Lord's  people  were  prophets,  and 
that  the  Lord  would  put  his  Spirit  upon  them  !"t 
4.  "  The  multitude  of  them  that  believed  were 
of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul."  Bound  in  the 
golden  ties  of  brotherly  love,  they  were  "  fair  as 
the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an 

*  "  Gospel  in  Ezekiel,"  p.  14. 

t  In  1  Tim.  iii.  6,  where  the  apostle  says,  ' '  Not  a  novice, 
lest,  being  lifted  up  with  pride,  he  fall  into  the  condemna- 
tion of  the  devil" — he  is  speaking  of  the  "bishop  "  or  pas- 
tor. He  must  not  be  a  novice.  But  the  words  do  not  touch 
the  principle  that  every  disciple  should  be  a  missionary. 


TIMES   OF  EEFRESHING.  315 

army  witli  banners."  Having  found  an  "  endur- 
ing substance,"  they  turned  their  back  on  the 
shadows.  "  None  of  them  said  that  aught  he 
possessed  was  his  own."  "  They  had  all  things 
common."  Barnabas  sold  his  land,  and  shared 
with  Christ's  poor. 

5.  "  Great  power  "  attended  the  "Word — "  great 
grace  was  upon  them  all."  Great  power  and 
great  grace.  Happy  Church — fair  in  the  bloom 
of  Pentecostal  beauty !  "  The  winter  is  past, 
the  rain  is  over  and  gone  :  the  flowers  appear  on 
the  earth,  the  time  of  the  singing  of  bkds  is 
come,  and  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our 
land." 


XYI 


'♦HE    THAT    WINNETH    SOULS    IS    WISE." 

THE   liEFE   AND    LABOES   OF    THE   KEV.    WM.    C.    BTJKNS.  * 

Peov.  xi.  30. 
"  He  that  -winnetli  souls  is  wise," 
Dan.  xii.  3. 
"They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the 
firmament ;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the 
stars  for  ever  and  ever." 

2  Kings  ii.  14. 
"Where  is  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah?" 

Zech.  xi.  2. 
"  Howl,  fir-tree  ;  for  the  cedar  is  fallen." 

ARLY    in    July,    tidings  reached   this 

country    that    the    Rev.     Wilham    C. 

Burns  died  at  New-chwang,  in  the  north 

of    China,   on  the   4th   of  April  last. 

Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death 

*  "  His  saltem  accumulem  donis,  et  fungar  inani 
Munere." — Eneid,  vi.  886, 
(316) 


HE   THAT  TNTNNETH   SOULS  IS   WISE.  317 

of  his  saints."     Tliis  was  the  death  of  no  orcli- 
naiy  saint.     William  Burns  was  a  burning  and  a 
shining  light ;  and  many  were  willing  for  a  sea- 
son to  rejoice  m  his  light.     He  was  one  of  the 
chosen  few  whom  God  raised  up  in  our  time  to 
reyive  his  work  and  prepare  Scotland  for  the 
Disruption.     Looking  back  on  the  Disruption, 
with  its  story  of  quickened  life  and  heroic  sacri- 
fice, we  distinguish  two  bands  of  men  specially 
raised  up  to  prepare  the  way  for  it.     One  fought 
the  battle  in  the  church  courts — Chalmers  and 
Welsh,  Cunningham  and  Dunlop,  Candlish  and 
Speirs,  Buchanan  and  Andrew  Gray.     Another, 
outside  the  chui'ch  courts,  preached  ^dth  pente- 
costal  power  that  gospel  which  had  fallen  out  of 
sight   during    a   dark   chapter   in   the  religious 
history  of  Scotland ;  and  of  all  the  names  in  this 
band — M'Cheyne    and   James   Hamilton,   John 
Macdonald  and  Alexander  Stewart,  Gordon  and 
Guthrie,    John    Milne    and  the   Bonars — none 
made  his  influence  more  widely  felt  than  William 
Bm^ns.     He    was   the   chief  instrument  in  the 
gi^cat  Kilsyth  revival  of  1839,  when  he  was  only 
twenty-four  years  of  age.     It  was  under  him  that 


318  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

the  awakening  in  St.  Peter's,  Dundee,  began  in 
tlie  autumn  of  the  same  year.  Mr.  M'ChejTie 
was  absent  on  a  mission  of  inquiry  to  the  Jews, 
and  on  his  return  he  found  his  congregation 
shaking  like  the  valley  of  dry  bones.  "  Gifted 
with  a  solid  and  vigorous  understanding,"  we 
quote  the  words  of  a  friend  who  knew  him  well ; 
"possessed  of  a  voice  of  vast  compass  and 
power, — unsurpassed  even  by  that  of  Mr.  Spur- 
geon, — and  withal,  fired  with  an  ardor  so  intense 
and  an  energy  so  exliaustless,  that  notlung  could 
damp  or  resist  it,  Mr.  Burns  wielded  an  influence 
over  the  masses  whom  he  addressed  which  was 
almost  without  parallel  since  the  days  of  Wesley 
and  "Whitefield.  Crowds  flocked  to  St.  Peter's 
fi-om  all  the  country  round,  and  the  strength  of 
the  preacher  seemed  to  grow  with  the  incessant 
demands  made  upon  it."  The  same  blessing 
accompanied  his  labors  wherever  he  went — in 
Glasgow,  Perth,  Breadalbane,  Aberdeen,  Brech- 
in, St.  Andrews,  etc.  All  over  the  land  there 
was  a  sound  of  a  great  rain.  I  reckon  it  the 
greatest  privilege  of  my  boyhood  that  I  came 
macli  under  his  influence,  and  reverenced  him 


HE   THAT   WINNETH   SOULS   IS   WISE.  319 

more  tlian  any  other  liying  man,  and  that 
during  my  second  session  at  college,  when  he 
snpphed  the  pulpit  of  St.  Luke's,  Edinburgh, 
during  the  temporarj^  absence  of  the  esteemed 
pastor,  Mr.  Moody  Stuart,  I  was  continually  in 
the  way  of  hearing  him  and  meeting  with  him. 
He  was  wholly  w^eaned  from  the  world.  From 
the  day  he  began  his  ministry,  twenty-nine 
years  ago,  he  had  no  home  on  earth,  no  family 
ties,  but  trayelled  oyer  the  wide  world  preach- 
ing God's  blessed  evangel.  You  might  think 
him  extreme — many  did  ;  but  you  could  not 
look  at  him  -without  feehng  how  truly  what  a 
briUiant  writer  has  said  of  the  Baptist  apphed 
to  him  : — "  He  was  homeless  upon  earth.  Well, 
but  beyond — beyond — in  the  blue  eternities 
above,  there  was  the  proj)liet's  home.  He  had 
cut  himself  off  from  the  solaces  of  life.  .  .  .  But 
he  was  passing  into  that  country  where  it 
matters  httle  whether  a  man  has  been  clothed 
in  finest  linen  or  in  coarsest  camel's  hair,  that 
still  country  where  the  struoole-storm  of  hfe  is 
over,  and  such  as  John  find  their  rest  at  last  in 
the  home  of  God.  .  .  .  Speech  falls  from  him 


320  THE   SHEPHERD    OF    ISEAEL. 

sliarp,  rugged,  cutting — a  word  and  no  more. 
'  Eepent !'  '  "Wratli  to  come  !'  '  Tlie  axe  is  laid 
at  tlie  root  of  tlie  tree !'  '  Tlie  fruitless  trees 
will  be  cast  into  the  fire  !'  He  spoke  as  men 
speak  wlien  tliey  are  in  earnest,  simply  and 
abrux3tly,  as  if  tlie  graces  of  oratory  were  out  of 
place.  And  tlien  tliat  life  of  liis !  The  world 
could  understand  it.  There  was  T\Titten  on  it 
in  letters  that  needed  no  magnif^Tng-glass  to 
read — '  Not  of  this  world.' "  ^  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  his  sublime  devotion,  his  Peniel-hke 
wrestlings  with  God,  and  his  Elijah-like  a]3peals, 
shot  an  intenser  thrill  into  the  heart  of  Scot- 
land's Christianity.  "He  that  winneth  souls  is 
wise." 

There  are  many  definitions  of  Tvisdom  current 
in  the  world.  The  successful  merchant  is  con- 
sidered wise.  "  Men  will  praise  thee  when  thou 
doest  well  to  thyseK."  The  man  who  achieves  a 
name  in  arms,  in  the  senate,  in  science,  in  betters, 
at  tlie  bar,  in  the  church,  is  thought  ^ise.  Or 
the  man  who,  witliout  aspiring  to  anything  gi*eat, 
does  liis  duty  in  the  various  relations  of  Hfe  as  a 
*  "Eobertson's  Sermons,"  i.  142. 


HE   THAT  WINNETH   SOULS  IS   WISE.  321 

son,  brother,  father,  master,  neighbor,  citizen, — 
whose  character  is  without  a  stain, — and  who 
is  followed  to  the  grave  by  the  regi^ets  of  a  re- 
spectful community, — will  be  considered  wise  in 
no  common  degree.  Solomon  says,  "He  that 
winneth  souls  is  wise." 

What  is  it  to  tdn  souls  ?  How  are  they  to  be 
won?  Wherein  spedaUy  lies  tJie  tuisdom  of  him 
who  wins  them  ? 

1.  What  is  it  to  win  souls  ? 

The  answer  is  given  in  the  words  of  Paul's 
commission — "I  send  thee  to  open  then-  eyes, 
and  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  Hght,  and 
from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God ;  that  they 
may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance 
among  them  w^hich  are  sanctified,  by  faith,  that 
is  in  me."  It  is  to  blow  the  trumpet  and  warn 
the  people.  It  is  to  save  men  with  fear,  puUing 
them  out  of  the  fire.  It  is  to  bring  a  lost  sheep 
back  to  the  fold — to  bring  a  prodigal  home  from 
the  far  country  to  receive  the  welcome,  the  robe, 
the  ring,  the  kiss.  It  is  to  espouse  souls  to  One 
Husband,  and  present  them  as  a  chaste  virgin  to 
Christ. 

21 


322  THE   SHEPHERD   OF   ISRAEL. 

All  tliis  implies  tliat  the  soul  in  its  natui^al 
condition  is  lost, — lost  as  a  condemned  criminal 
is  lost, — lost  as  the  victim  of  an  mcurable  dis- 
ease is  lost, — lost  as  a  man  who  has  fallen  into 
the  sea  and  siuik  is  lost.  Hear  the  Bible  on  the 
point :  "  He  that  believeth  not  is  condemned 
ah-eady."  "  Ye  were  by  nature  the  children  of 
wrath  even  as  others."  "  The  whole  head  is 
sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint ;  from  the  sole  of 
the  foot  even  unto  the  head  there  is  no  sound- 
ness in  it,  but  wounds,  and  bruises,  and  putrefy- 
ing sores."  "  At  that  time  ye  were  without 
Christ,  being  ahen  from  the  commonwealth  of 
Israel,  and  strangers  from  the  covenants  of 
promise,  having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in 
the  world." 

This  testunony  is  conclusive  :  but  other  wit- 
nesses are  at  hand.  Ask  the  awakened  sinner, 
and  he  will  tell  you  that  he  is  lost, — that  his  life 
is  drawing  near  to  the  grave,  and  his  soul  to  the 
destroyers.  Sinai's  thunder  is  exceeding  loud, — 
the  fire  burns  into  the  midst  of  heaven, — and 
out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire  he  hears  the  dreadful 
words,  "  Cursed  is  every  one  that  continueth  not 


HE   THAT   WINNETH   SOULS  IS   WISE.  323 

in  all  tilings  tliat  are  written  in  tlie  book  of  the 
law  to  do  tliem."  Thus  felt  Luther  when  his 
cell  in  the  convent  at  Erfurth  resounded  with  liis 
groans,  "  Mj  sin  !  my  sin  !  "  Thus  felt  "  the 
pilgrim "  as  "  he  read  and  wept  and  trembled, 
and,  not  being  able  longer  to  contain,  broke  out 
with  a  lamentable  cry,  sa^^ing,  '  What  shall  I 
do  ? '  "  Or  ask  a  disciple  of  Christ — and,  with  a 
heart  brimming  over  with  gladness,  he  says,  "  I 
was  once  in  a  horrible  pit,  and  in  the  miry  clay  ; 
but  he  brought  me  up,  and  set  my  feet  upon  a 
rock,  and  established  my  goings.  Once  I  sat  in 
darkness,  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  being 
bound  in  affliction  and  iron  :  I  cried  unto  the 
Lord  in  my  trouble,  and  he  saved  me  out  of  my 
distresses.  Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord 
for  his  goodness,  and  for  liis  wonderful  works  to 
the  children  of  men !  " 

2.  Hoio  are  souls  to  be  w^on  ? 

First,  By  preaching  Cheist — giving  him  the 
highest  place,  and  making  all  else  subservient 
to  him.  As  the  sun  among  the  planets,  so  is 
Christ  among  doctrines.  The  regal  truth  among 
truths — the   man'ow  of  theology — the   core   of 


324  THE   SHEPHERD    OF  ISRAEL. 

the  Gospel — is  Christ.  Christ  as  the  sum  of 
the  promises,  from  the  first  in  Eclen  to  the  hist 
in  Patmos :  the  substance  of  the  types :  the  con- 
summation of  the  prophecies :  the  full  crown  and 
flower  of  the  Old  Testament  revelation.  We 
never  complain  of  our  minister  that  he  preaches 
too  much  of  Christ.  There  can  be  no  tautology 
in  preaching  him.  The  French  king  said  of 
Bourdaloue,  that  he  "  would  rather  hear  the  re- 
petitions of  Bourdaloue  than  the  novelties  of 
another."  So  we  would  rather  hear  the  repeti- 
tions of  the  preacher  who  never  tires  of  this 
matchless  theme  than  the  novelties  of  others. 
Give  us  Christ  always,  Christ  ever.  Christ  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Father — Christ  in  the  manger 
and  in  the  tomb — Christ  on  the  cross  and  on 
the  throne ; — Christ  in  the  loveliness  of  his 
person,  the  grandeur  of  his  work,  the  efficacy  of 
his  blood,  the  riches  of  his  grace.  Christ  our 
righteousness,  Christ  our  peace,  Christ  our  life, 
Christ  our  strength,  Christ  our  hope,  Christ  our 
eternal  salvation.  Look  at  Paul's  preaching. 
"  And  I,  brethren,  when  I  came  to  you,  came 
not  with  excellency  of  sjpeech  or  of  wisdom,  de- 


HE   THAT   WINNETH   SOULS   IS   ^^SE.  325 

claring  unto  jon  the  testimony  of  God :  for  I 
determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you, 
save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  cincified. "  He 
found  endless  variety,  richness,  fi'eshness,  in  tLe 
glorious  theme.  Christ's  names  and  offices — 
his  words  and  works — his  hfe  and  death — ^liis 
first  comuig  to  take  away  the  sins  of  man}^,  and 
his  second  coming  without  sin  unto  salvation. 
This  is  the  theme  that  wins  souls.  Clnist  cruci- 
fied is  the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of 
God  :  and  when  he  is  "hfted  up  "  in  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Word,  he  draws  all  men  unto  him. 

In  this  age  of  letters,  is  there  not  serious 
danger  of  forgetting  tins  ;  of  putting  sometliing 
else — "  excellency  of  speech  or  of  wisdom," 
learned  speculations,  science,  rhetoric — in  the 
place  of  Christ  ?  We  know  what  tlie  danger 
was  at  the  end  of  last  century,  when  undisgTiised 
Sociuianism  was  preached  in  many  pulpits,  and 
the  doctrines  of  ruin  by  the  Fall,  redemption  by 
Clnist,  and  regeneration  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
were  seldom  heard  of.  We  know  how  it  was 
said  of  the  most  admired  preacher  in  the  metrop- 
olis, whose  church  was  thronged  by  crowds  of 


326  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISRAEL. 

elegant  admirers,  all  on  tlie  tip-toe  of  expecta- 
tion— a  preacher  wliose  sermons  were  read  in 
tlie  splendid  mansions  of  nobility  as  the  most 
faultless  models  of  pulpit  eloquence  that  had 
appeared  for  ages — that  "  he  paid  more  atten- 
tion to  the  rounding  of  his  sentences  than  to  the 
salvation  of  souls."  Surely  a  sight  to  make 
angels  weep  !  But  look  at  our  own  day.  The 
most  popular  sermons,  out  of  all  sight  and 
hearing,  in  our  age,  are  sermons  where  the 
doctrine  of  the  Atonement  is  perverted,  where 
an  erroneous  theory  of  inspiration  is  tauglit, 
where  the  Sabbath  is  spoken  of  as  a  Jewish 
holyday,  where  a  view  of  Baptism  is  given 
closely  resembling  the  Komish.  ^ 

*  I  yield  to  no  one  in  my  admiration  of  the  exquisite  prose 
poetry  of  tlie  writers  of  the  English  Broad  School.  One 
hardly  knows  whether  most  to  admire  the  brilliant  style,  the 
deep,  passionate  earnestness,  or  the  high-toned  thoughtful- 
ness  of  these  remarkable  writings.  The  late  Alexander 
Smith  has  said  that  reading  Milton  is  like  eating  ofif  gold 
plate.  So  it  is  the  rarest  intellectual  luxury  to  read  these 
writers  again  and  again.  It  canuot  be  denied,  however, 
that  when  they  deal,  for  example,  with  the  subject  of  the 
Atonement,  the  tendency  of  much  that  they  have  written  is 
to  mystify  and  rationalize  it,  and  to  explain  away  the  obvious 
meam'ng  of  many  statements  of  the  Bible.     So  that  if  a 


HE   THAT   WTNNETH   SOULS   IS   WISE.  327 

Second,  Souls  are  to  be  won  by  preaching 
lihe  Christ. 

He  was  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  The  Lord 
anointed  him  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the 
meek.  Grace  was  poured  into  his  Kps.  He 
spake  as  never  man  spake.  We  must  be  filled 
with  the  Spirit  also.  The  oil  poured  on  him 
without  measure  must  flow  down  upon  us. 
"  Meditation,  supplication,  temj^tation,  make  a 
minister,"  wrote  Luther.  Most  true.  But  more 
briefly.  Being  filled  tuith  tJie  Holy  Ghost  makes 
a  minister. 

He  was  instant  in  'prayer.  The  mountains 
were  his  oratory.  "  Li  the  moiTiing,  rising  up  a 
great  while  before  day,  he  went  out,  and  de- 
parted into  a  solitary  place,  and  there  prayed." 
Sometimes  "  he  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to 
God."     It  is  this  that  wins  souls. 

He   had   compassion   on   the    multitude.     He 

youth,  when  thought  is  tender,  becomes  "inoculated"  with 
their  spirit,  he  feels  positive  embarrassment  in  turning  to  the 
fifty-third  of  Isaiah.  In  saying  this,  I  cannot  refer  .to  the 
name  of  Frederick  Kobertson  without  great  tenderness,  a 
deep  sense  of  obligation,  and  the  reverence  due  to  splendid 
genius. 


328  THE   SHEPHEED   OF   ISEAEL. 

saw  them  fainting,  and  scattered  abroad  as 
slieep  having  no  shepherd.  His  pitiful  eje  saw 
their  lost  state,  and  took  in  their  time  and  their 
eternity.  He  saw  them  occupied  with  their 
\  farms  and  thek  merchandise,  and  refusing  the 
Great  Supper.  He  saw  them  eating  and  drink- 
ing, buymg  and  selling,  planting  and  building, 
marrying  and  giving  in  marriage,  and  giviag  the 
Great  Salvation  the  go-by.  He  saw  the  tempest 
gathering,  the  sky  covered  with  Hghtning- 
charged  clouds.  "  And  when  he  was  come  near, 
he  saw  the  city,  and  wept  over  it,  saymg.  If  thou 
hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day, 
the  things  which  belong  unto  thy  peace !  but 
now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes." 

This  Christhke  compassion  is  a  mighty  means 
of  winning  souls.  Nothing  moves  the  hardest 
heart  like  tears.  "  I  tell  you  even  weeping," 
wrote  Paul.  Who  could  resist  the  argument 
of  Paul  in  tears  ?  "Whitefield  was  often  melted 
to  tears  when  preaching.  "  How  can  I  help  it," 
he  said,  "  when  you  will  not  weep  for  yourselves, 
though  yom*  immortal  souls  are  on  the  verge  of 
destruction,  and,  for  aught  you  know,  you  are 


HE   THAT   WINXETH   SOULS   IS   WISE.  329 

lieaiing  your  last  sermon,  and  may  never  more 
liave    an    opportunity   to    have    Clirist    offered 

you!" 

He  was  umuearied  in  winning  souls.  "  He 
went  about  doing  good."  "  He  must  needs  go 
through  Samaria."  He  went  after  the  lost 
sheep  until  he  found  it.  He  made  it  his  busi- 
ness to  win  soids.  We  find  the  same  unweari- 
edness  in  Paul.  In  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  Athens, 
Corinth,  Philippi,  Eome,  he  had  one  object — to 
win  souls.  And  he  pursued  it  for  thirty  years, 
"In  perUs  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in 
perils  by  his  own  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the 
heathen ;  in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watch- 
ings  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastuigs  often, 
in  cold  and  nakedness." 

3.  The  sjjecial  wisdom  of  the  winner  of  soids 
consists  in  two  things. 

He  sets  a  great  aim  before  Mm  here.  How 
poor  are  all  other  objects  of  earthly  ambition 
compared  with  his !  A  fortune  is  the  capitahst's 
aim — "  at  sixty  years  of  age  he  attains  wealth,  a 
country  seat,  splendid  plate,  a  noble  establish- 
ment."    The  scholar  hives  up  knowledge.     The 


330  THE   SHEPHEED   OF  ISE.U^L. 

sage  pursues,  in  tlie  silence  of  miclniglit,  the 
speculations  which  the  morning  began,  and  tries 
to  extort  from  Nature  her  hidden  secrets.  The 
hero  struggles  for  a  remembrance  and  a  name 
on  the  battle-field.  The  statesman  leaves  the 
stfimp  of  his  administration  upon  his  country 
and  his  age. 

But  he  that  wins  one  soul  wins  a  jewel  for 
Emmanuel's  crown — a  jewel  which  will  shine 
like  the  sun  forever.  The  winning  of  souls  is 
the  ol>ject  on  which  God's  heart  is  set ;  for 
which  Christ  lived,  and  died,  and  rose  ;  for  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  given ;  for  wdiicli  angels  leave 
their  "  silver  bowers,"  and  haste  on  errands  of 
mercy  ;  for  which  the  gospel  is  preached ;  for 
w^hich  the  world,  with  all  its  complex  politics,  is 
kept  standing ;  and  when  the  last  soul  is  won, 
just  as  the  scaffolding  is  taken  down  when  the 
edifice  is  finished,  "  the  heavens  shall  pass  away 
with  a  srreat  noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt 
with  fervent  heat :  the  earth  also  and  the  works 
that  are  therein  shall  be  burnt  up." 

He  receives  a  (jreat  reward  hereafter.  He 
whom  God  has  used  to  win  one  soul  will  have 


HE   THAT   WmNETH   SOULS  IS   WISE.  331 

an  increased  weiglit  of  glory — a  star  in  liis 
crown.  Samuel  Rutherford  used  to  say  to  his 
flock,  "  My  witness  is  above  that  your  heaven 
would  be  two  heavens  to  me,  and  the  salvation 
of  you  all  as  two  salvations  to  me."  What  a 
starry  crown  will  encu'cle  his  head  w^ho  has 
gathered  a  flock  in  the  wilderness,  and  fed  them, 
and  tended  them,  and  joyed  or  wept  over  them, 
and  at  last  guided  them  to  the  greener  hiUs  of 
Paradise,  and  who  can  say  in  the  great  day  of 
God,  "Behold  I  and  the  children  whom  God 
hath  'given  me  ! "  "  They  that  be  wise  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament ;  and 
they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the 
stars  for  ever  and  ever." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  how  strikingly  all 
this  was  illustrated  in  the  hfe  of  the  distinguished 
missionary  who  has  lately  been  taken  from  us. 
Diu'ing  the  early  years  of  his  ministry,  from  1839 
to  1843,  he  was  probably  the  means  of  winning 
more  souls  than  any  other  man  of  his  time.  He 
did  in  Scotland  what  Nettleton  did  in  America. 
His  spiiitual  children  are  to  be  found  over  the 
three  kingdoms,  iq  the  backwoods  of  America, 


332  THE   SHEPHERD    OF   ISRAEL. 

at  many  of  tlie  mission-stations  in  China ;  and 
many  of  tliem  are  now  with  him  in  glory.  We 
need  not  dwell  on  the  facts  of  his  Hfe.  They  are 
well  known.  In  the  rehgions  periodicals  of  all 
the  churches  loving  hands  have  drawn  portraits 
of  him.  By  common  consent  he  has  been  ranked 
with  missionaries  of  the  apostolic  type — Ehot, 
Schwartz,  Brainerd,  Martyn,  Judson,  Duff. 
From  every  land  sweet  spices  have  come  in 
the  form  of  graceful  appreciative  tributes  to 
embalm  his  name.  Here  is  one  I  have  re- 
ceived from  a  distinguished  minister  in  Ger- 
many:  "I  deeply  deplore  with  you  the  death 
of  that  great  Christian  hero,  William  Burns. 
I  tliink,  without  exaggeration,  we  shall  al- 
most need  to  go  back  to  St.  Paul  to  dis- 
cover a  nobler  type  of  evangelistic  zeal.  Such 
men  lay  the  foundation  of  Christian  empires." 
Besides,  his  own  Notes  of  his  labors  in  this 
country  (which,  we  beheve,  are  very  full),  and 
his  letters  from  China,  giving  an  account  of  his 
labors  there,  will,  no  doubt,  be  given  to  the 
world  shortly  in  the  biography  Avhich  is  in 
course  of  preparation. 


HE   THAT   WINNETH   SOULS   IS   WISE.  333 

I  shall  never  forget  the  first  time  I  saw  him 
It  was  at  Lawers,  on  Sabbath  the  16th  of 
August,  1840.  The  whole  country  was  ringing 
with  the  wonderful  movement  in  Kilsyth,  Perth, 
and  Dundee  with  which  his  name  was  asso- 
ciated. It  was  rumored,  too,  that,  a  short  time 
before,  a  person  had  died  in  connection  ^yiih. 
one  of  his  services.  A  gTeat  multitude  assem- 
bled, not  only  with  the  ordinary  feelings  of 
curiosity,  but  with  feelings  of  wonder  and  solem- 
nity deepening  almost  into  fear.  I  can  remem- 
ber the  misty  day,  and  the  eager  crowds  that 
flocked  from  all  dkections  across  hill  and  lake. 
The  service  was,  of  course,  in  the  open  air,  and 
when  the  preacher  appeared  many  actually  felt 
as  if  it  were  an  angel  of  God.  There  was  an 
indescribable  awe  over  the  assembly.  Mr. 
Burns'  look,  voice,  tones ;  the  opening  psalm, 
the  comments,  the  prayer,  the  chapter,  the  text 
(it  was  the  parable  of  the  great  supper,  in  Luke 
xiv.),  the  hues  of  thought,  even  the  minutest — 
the  preacher's  incandescent  earnestness ;  the 
stifled  sobs  of  the  hearers  on  this  side,  the  faces 
lit  up  with  joy  on  that ;  the  deathlike  silence  of 


o34  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISEAEL. 

the  crowd  as  tliey  reluctantly  dispersed  in  the 
gold-red  evening — the  whole  scene  is  inefface- 
ably  dagueiTeotyped  on  my  memory.  There  was 
an  evening  service  in  the  church  ;  the  text  was 
Job  xxxiii.  24,  "  Deliver  him  from  going  down  to 
the  pit :  I  have  found  a  ransom."  It  was  the 
bu'thnight  of  many  for  eternity.  Last  year, 
when  a  deputation  from  the  General  Assembly 
visited  the  Presbytery  of  Breadalbane  in  con- 
nection with  the  state  of  rehgion,  a  venerable 
minister  stated  that  such  of  the  subjects  of  that 
gracious  work  as  still  smwive  adorn  the  doc- 
trine of  God  our  Saviour  ui  all  thmgs.  Most  of 
tlie  congi'egations  hi  the  district  received  the 
divine  shower. 

Mr.  Burns'  Life  and  Labors  illustrate  the 
wonderful  way  in  which  Christ  dispenses  his 
gifts  according  to  the  special  work  he  assigns 
his  servants.  William  Burns  was  distinctively 
an  evangelist — x»Jpv| — a  herald,  a  man  blowing  a 
trumpet.  From  the  beginning  of  his  ministry 
he  was  plainly  not  cut  out  for  the  ordinary  work 
of  the  pastorate.  He  could  not  work  in  the 
common  tramways.     Like  the  Baptist,  he  came 


HE   THAT   WINXETH   SOULS   IS   WISE.  335 

preaching  repentance  ;  and  with  what  terrible 
earnestness  he  wamecl  the  thonsands  that  flocked 
to  hear  him  to  flee  ii'oni  the  coming  wrath  ! 
Like  the  Baptist,  too,  he  was  independent  of 
home  ties — hved,  as  it  were,  in  the  wilderness, 
"  malving  himself  grandly  solitary  for  the  work 
of  Christ."  His  very  eyes  left  theh  hght  with 
yon  after  he  had  gone.  His  sermon  was  like 
the  blast  of  a  trumpet.  M'Cheyne  said  of  him, 
"His  manner  is  so  impressiye  that  he  often 
makes  me  tremble."  The  word  on  his  Kps 
was  "  cpiick  and  powerful,  and  sharper  than  a 
two-edged  sword."  Let  two  instances  suffice. 
Preaching  from  Job  xxxiii.  24,  "Deliver  him 
from  going  do-wn  to  the  pit,"  and  addressing  the 
unsayed,  he  said,  "You  are  going  to  the  pit 
when  you  are  going  to  the  market ;  you  are 
going  to  the  pit  when  you  are  going  to  the 
dance  ;  you  are  going  to  the  pit  when  you  are 
going  to  your  work ;  you  are  going  to  the  pit 
when  you  are  going  to  the  church  ;  you  are 
going  to  the  pit  when  you  are  going  to  the 
Communion  Table  ;  you  are  going  to  the  pit 
when  you   are   going   away   to   your    homes!" 


336  THE   SHEPHERD    OF   ISRAEL. 

Once  on  a  fine  summer  Sabbatli  evening  lie  was 
preacliing  to  a  vast  crowd  at  tlie  approach,  to  a 
railway  station.  A  tall  man,  toucliecl  with. 
liquor,  on  the  edge  of  the  crowd,  began  to  mock 
the  preacher  and  disturb  the  audience.  Mr. 
Burns  paused  a  moment,  and  turned  his  eyes 
on  the  man.  "You  are  tall  and  strong,"  he 
said,  "  but  not  too  tall  for  a  coffin,  nor  too  strong 
for  the  worms !  You  are  tall  and  strong,  but 
not  too  tall  for  the  grave,  nor  too  strong  for 
death!  You  are  tall  and  strong,  but  you  will 
soon  have  to  stand  forth,  one  of  the  crowd, 
before  the  great  white  throne !  And  how  will 
you  face  the  Judge  of  the  whole  earth!  Tall 
and  strong  as  you  are,  you  cannot  be  hid  from 
God ;  the  rocks  and  mountains  will  not  cover 
you.  His  all-seeing  eye  is  on  you  now !"  "^ 
Such  words,  "  like  arrows  of  the  mighty,"  pierced 
men's  hearts,  and  made  the  grand  old  story  of 
the  cross  thrice  welcome. 

And   yet   there  was  an  Isaiah-lilve    grandeur 
about  his  expositions  of  the  gosi^el.     Wlien  his 

*  See  an  able  biographical  sketch  of  him  in  the  Sunday  at 
Home  for  September,  by  Rev.  T.  Alexander,  M.A.,  Chelsea. 


HE  THAT  WINNETH   SOULS  IS  WISE.  337 

lips  were  touclied  with  the  Hve  coal,  it  was 
indeed  a  feast  of  fat  things  to  hear  liim.  And 
even  when  he  was  straitened,  which  he  often 
was,  owing  to  the  incessant  demands  upon  him, 
there  was  always  sometliing  precious  which 
stuck  fast  in  the  memory. 

From  fii'st  to  last,  his  one  object  was  to  mn 
sonls.  His  first  text  was  Rom.  xii.  1,  "  I  beseech 
yon,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present 
yoiu'  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,"  etc.,  and  it  was 
the  motto  of  his  life.  Though  a  distinguished 
student,  and  endowed  with  extraordinary  hn- 
guistic  gifts,  he  was  content  to  be  "  a  fool "  for 
Clirist.  He  sacrificed  seK,  comfort,  reputation  ; 
the  love  of  home,  of  friends,  of  books,  for  him. 
He  lived  in  a  region  above  the  world's  praise  or 
censure.  He  shook  himself  free  of  its  conven- 
tionahties.  Though  very  loving  and  convers- 
able, he  disliked  many  of  our  social  customs, 
because  they  wasted  so  much  time.  He  did 
not  care  for  the  most  perfect  ecclesiastical 
organizations  unless  real  spmtual  work  was 
done.  He  dreaded  the  ruts  into  which  so 
many  of  us  fall.     To   win  souls  was  his  aim, 

22 


668  THE   SHEPHERD   OF  ISRAEL. 

and  for  this  lie  travelled  over  tlie  three  king- 
doms— he  labored  for  two  or  three  years  in 
Canada,  and  "became  quite  a  Canadian,"  as 
he  once  told  ns — he  labored  for  tvi^entj-one 
years  in  China,  preaching  the  gospel  every- 
v/here ;  in  the  streets  and  chief  places  of  con- 
course at  home,  in  the  gospel-boat,  or  under 
the  shade  of  a  tree  in  China.  For  this  he  trans- 
lated the  "  Pilgrim's  Progress "  into  Chinese, 
and  acquired  several  of  the  Chinese  dialects. 
For  this  he  prayed  without  ceasing;  and  his 
intensity  in  prayer  often  recalled  the  words  of 
Brainerd,  "  God  enabled  me  so  to  agonize  in 
prayer  that  I  was  quite  wet  with  sweat,  though 
in  the  shade  and  the  wind  cool.  My  soul  was 
drawn  out  very  much  for  the  world  :  I  grasped 
for  multitudes  of  souls.  I  think  I  had  more 
enlargement  for  sinners  than  for  the  children  of 
God,  though  I  felt  as  if  I  could  spend  my  life  in 
cries  for  both."  ^'  He  lived  in  the  habitual 
contemplation  of  things  unseen  and  eternal. 

And  what  a  noble  dying  testimony !     Three 
months  before  his  death,  he  wrote  his  mother — 
*  " Brainerd' s  Life,"  p.  25. 


HE   THAT  WINNETH   SOULS  IS  WISE.  339 

it  was  liis  last  letter  :  "  Unless  it  should  please 
God  to  rebuke  the  disease,  it  is  quite  evident 
what  the  end  must  be ;  and  I  write  these  lines 
beforehand,  to  say  that  I  am  happy  and  ready, 
through  the  abounding  gTace  of  God,  either  to 
live  or  to  die.  May  the  God  of  all  consolation 
comfort  you  when  the  tidings  of  my  decease 
shall  reach  you;  and  through  the  redeeming 
blood  of  Jesus,  may  we  meet  in  joy  before  the 
throne  of  God!"  His  last  words  were,  "For 
thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the 
glory."  Not  a  word  of  himself:  his  supreme 
thought  was  the  kingdom  and  the  glory  of 
Christ ! 


CARTERS' 
FIRESIDE     LIBRARY. 


First  Series.     90  Cents  j)er   Volume. 
BY    A.  L.  o.  E. 

1.  THE    CLAREMONT  TALES. 

2.  THE    ADOPTED    SON;    and    Other   Tales.     Con- 

taining "Walter  Binning,"   "Wings  and  Stings,"  and  "True  Hero- 
ism." 

3.  THE   YOUNG   PILGRIM. 

4.  THE   GIANT  KILLER,  AND   SEQUEL.     Containing 

"The  Giant  Killer"  and  the  "  Roby  Family." 

5.  FLORA;  or,  Self-Deception. 

6.  THE    NEEDLE    AND    THE    RAT.      Containing   the 

"  Story  of  a  Needle,"  and  the  "  Rambles  of  a  Rat." 

7.  EDDIE     ELLERSLIE,    AND     THE     MINE 

Containing  "Old  Friends"  and  the  "Mine." 

8.  PRECEPTS    IN    PRACTICE. 

9.  THE   CHRISTIAN'S   MIRROR. 

10.  IDOLS   IN  THE   HEART:   A  Tale. 

11.  PRIDE   AND    HIS    PRISONERS. 

12.  THE    SHEPHERD    OF    BETHLEHEM. 

13.  THE    POACHER.      Containing    "Harry  Dangerfield" 

and  "Angus  Tarlton." 

14.  THE     CHIEF'S     DAUGHTER.       Containing    "Day- 

Break  in  Britain  "  and  "  Parliament  in  the  Playroom." 

15.  THE   LOST  JEWEL. 

16.  STORIES  ON  THE  PARABLES.     Containing  "  Black 

Cliff"  and  "Broken  Chain." 

17.  NED     MANTON.      Containing   the    "Cottage   by   the 

Stream  "  and  "My  Neighbor's  Shoes." 

iS.  WAR    AND    PEACE.     A  Story  of  Cabul. 

19.  THE   ROBBERS'   CAVE.     A  Story  of  Italy. 

10.  THE   CROWN   OF   SUCCESS. 

21.  THE   REBEL  RECLAIMED.     A  Tale. 

22.  THE   SILVER   CASKET.     A  Tale. 

23.  CHRISTIAN    CONQUESTS.      Containing    "Bags  ot 

Gold"  and  "Falsely  Accused." 


2  CARTERS'     FIRESIDE     LIBRARY. 

First  Series.     90  Cejtis  j)er  Vol. 

24.  TRY  AGAIN,  AND  OTHER  STORIES.     Containing 

"Esther  Parsons"  and  "Paying  Dear." 

25.  CORTLEY     HALL.      Containing    "Straight    Road" 

and  "Jewish  History." 

26.  GOOD   FOR   EVIL. 

27.  CHRISTIAN'S  PANOPLY.    Containing  "Ned  Franks" 

and  "Red  Cross  Knight." 

28.  EXILES   IN   BABYLON. 

29.  GILES   OLDHAM. 

30.  A  NUTSHELL   OF  KNOWLEDGE. 

31.  RESCUED   FROM   EGYPT. 

32.  THE   TRIUMPH   OVER  MIDIAN. 

33.  SUNDAY   CHAPLET.     A  Series  of  Stories. 

34.  HOLIDAY   CHAPLET.     A  Series  of  Stories. 

35.  CHILDREN'S   TREASURY. 

36.  THE   LAKE   IN   THE   WOODS. 

37.  SHEER   OFF.     A  Tale. 

38.  JOHN   CAREY.     A  Tale. 


ANNA;  OR,  A  Daughter  at  Home. 

AUNT   EDITH ;  or,  Love  to  God  the  Best  Motive. 

MABEL    GPvANT.     A  Highland  Story.     By  Ballantyne. 

LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN   BATE.     By  the  Rev.  John  Baillie 

THE    BLACK    SHIP,    and   Other  Allegories. 

BLIND   LILIAS ;  or,  Fellowship  with  God. 

BLIND   MAN'S   HOLIDAY.     A   Series   of   Short    Stories. 

THE   INDIAN   TRIBES    OF   GUIANA.     By  Brett. 

BROAD   SHADOWS  ON  LIFE'S  PATHWAY.    A  Tale. 

BROTHER  AND   SISTER;   or,  The  Way  of  Peace. 

THE   BROTHER'S   WATCHWORD. 

BUNYAN'S   PILGRIM'S   PROGRESS. 

CLARA   STANLEY;  or,  A  Summer  among  the  Hills. 

LITTLE   CROWNS,  AND   HOW  TO   WIN   THEM.     By 

the  Rev.  Jos.  A.  Collier. 

CONSTANCE  AND    EDITH;    or,  Incidents  of  Home. 
THE    COTTAGE    AND    ITS    VISITOR.     By  the  author 

of  "  Ministering  Children." 

CRIPPLE   DAN.     By  Andrew  Whitgift. 

DAYBREAK ;  or.  Truth  Struggling  and  Triumphant 


CARTERS'     FIRESIDE     LIBRARY.  3 

First  Series.     90  Cents  j)er  Vol. 

DAYS  AT  MUIRHEAD;   or,  Olive's  Holidays. 
DAYS   OF   OLD.     Bj  the  author  of  "  Ruth." 
EMILY  VERNON;    or,  Filial  Piety  Exemplified. 
THE    CHILDREN   OF  THE   MANSE.     By  Mrs.  Duncan. 
EDWARD  CLIFFORD ;  or.  The  Memories  of  Childhood. 
ELLIE    RANDOLPH. 
FANNY  AIKEN. 

FAR    OFF.     By  the  Author  of  "  Peep  of  Day." 
FLORENCE  EGERTON;    or,  Sunshine  and  Shadow. 
VESPER.     By  the  Countess  De  Gasparin. 

ALICE  AND  ADOLPHUS.     By  Mrs.  Gatty.     Containing 

"  Proverbs  Illustrated  "  and  "Worlds  not  Realized." 

AUNT  JUDY'S  TALES.     By  Mrs.  Gatty. 

PARABLES    FROM    NATURE.     By   Mrs.   Gatty.     Con- 
taining "  Motes  in  the  Sunbeam  "  and  "  Circle  of  Blessing." 
MAY  DUNDAS.     By  Mrs.  Geldart. 
GRANDMAMMA'S     SUNSHINE,    and    Other     Stories. 

By  the  author  of    "Kitty's  Victory,"  &c.      Containing  "Annie   Price'* 
and  "  Lost  Spectacles." 

THE   HAPPY  HOME.     By  James  Hamilton,  D.D. 

MEMOIR   OF   LADY   COLQUHOUN.     By  J.  Hamilton. 

HASTE   TO   THE   RESCUE. 

LIFE   OF   GENERAL   HAVELOCK. 

THE   INFANT'S   PROGRESS.     By  Mrs.  Sherwood. 

JACK  THE    CONQUEROR.     By  C.  E.  Bowen. 

JAMIE   GORDON;    or,  The  Orphan. 

JEANIE   MORRISON;     or.  The  Discipline  of  Life. 

JOLLY  AND   KATY  IN  THE   COUNTRY. 

EARNEST   CHRISTIAN:    A  Memoir  of  Mrs.  Jukes. 

KATE    KILBORN.     By  the  author  of  "  Jeanie  Morrison  " 

KATE   AND   EFFIE ;    or.  Prevarication. 

KITTY'S   VICTORY,   AND   OTHER   STORIES. 

LIFE   OF  RICHARD   KNILL. 

THE   LIGHTED  VALLEY.     A  Memoir  of  Miss  Bolton. 

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LOUIS   AND   FRANK.     Containing  "Three  Months  under 

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MARGARET  WARNER. 

MAUD   SUMMERS,   THE   SIGHTLESS. 

THE   CONVENT.     A  Tale.     By  Miss  McCrindell. 

MIA  AND    CHARLIE;    or,  A  Week's  Holiday. 

MINISTERING  CHILDREN.  A  Tale.  By  Miss  Charles- 
worth.     With  18  Illustrations.     2  vols. 

SEQUEL    TO     MINISTERING     CHILDREN.        2     vols. 

MY  SCHOOLBOY  DAYS  AND  YOUTHFUL  COM- 
PANIONS.    In  one  vol. 

NEAR  HOME ;  or.  The  Countries  of  Europe  De- 
scribed.    By  the  author  of  the  "  Peep  of  Day,"  &c. 

THE   WORLD   OF  WATERS.     By  Mrs.  Osborne. 

PASSING    CLOUDS;    or,  Love  coNquERiNG   Evil. 

THE   PET  RABBITS. 

PETER'S   POUND  AND   PAUL'S   PENNY. 

TALES  OF  THE  SCOTTISH  COVENANTERS.  Con- 
taining "Helen  of  the  Glen,"  "The  Persecuted  Family,"  and  "  Ralph 
Gemmell."    By  Robert  Pollok. 

THE   RIVAL   KINGS.     By  the  author  of  "  Sidney  Grey." 

ROUND   THE    FIRE.     A  Series  of  Stories. 

RUTH   AND   HER   FRIENDS. 

SALE      OF      CRUMMIE.        Containing     the     *' Diamond 

Brooch  "  and  the  "  Buried   Bible." 

SIDNEY   GREY.     A  Story  for  Boys. 

OLIVE   LEAVES.     By  Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney. 

LETTERS   TO   MY  PUPILS.     By  Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney. 

WATER    DROPS.     By  Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney. 

HOLIDAY    HOUSE.     By  Catherine  Sinclair. 

ROUGHING    IT    WITH    ALICK    BAILLIE. 

TALES   OF  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

TALES   OF   SWEDEN  AND  THE   NORSEMEN. 

TALES   OF  TRAVELLERS.     By  Maria  Hack. 

CONTRIBUTIONS   OF  Q^  Q^    By  Jane  Taylor. 

THE  TORN   BIBLE. 

ABBEOKUTA ;  or,  Sunrise  in  the  Tropics.     By  Tucker. 

THE   RAINBOW  IN    THE    NORTH.     By  Miss  Tucker. 

THE   SOUTHERN   CROSS.     By  Miss  Tucker. 

WARFARE  AND   WORK.    A  Tale. 

THE   WAY   HOME. 

THE   WEEK. 


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First  Series.     90  Cents  j>er  Vol. 
WILLIE  AND    UNICA.     Containing  "  Little  Willie "  and 

"Unica." 

LIFE    OF    WILBERFORCE.     By  Mary  A.  Collier. 

LIGHTS   AND   SHADOWS   OF   SCOTTISH   LIFE.      Bj 

Prof.   Wilson. 
THE     WOODCUTTER     OF     LEBANON,     AND     THE 

EXILES  OF  LUCERNA.    By  Rev.  J.  R.   Macduff,  D.D. 


Second  Series.     >]<,  Cents  per  Vol. 
AFRICANS    MOUNTAIN    VALLEY.      By  the   author  of 

"  Ministering   Children." 

ASHTON   COTTAGE.    A  Tale. 

LIFE    STUDIES.     By  the  Rev.  John  Baillie. 

BERTIE   LEE.     4  cuts. 

BROOK  FARM;    or,  American  Country  Life. 

CHARLES   ROUSSELL;    or.  Industry  and   Honesty. 

CHILDREN   ON  THE  PLAINS.     By  Aunt  Friendly. 

THE   COMMANDMENT  WITH   PROMISE. 

COSMO'S   VISIT  TO   HIS   GRANDPARENTS. 

THE   COTTAGE   FIRESIDE;    or,   The   Parish   School. 

FIRST  AND   LAST  JOURNEY. 

FRANK  NETHERTON;     or,   The  Talisman. 

FRITZ    HAROLD.     A  Story  from  the  German. 

THE  JEWISH   TWINS.     B"y  Aunt   Friendly. 

RASSELAS,  PRINCE  OF  ABYSSINIA.     By  Dr.  Johnson. 

THE   LAST  WEEK   OF  DAVIS  JOHNSON,  Jr. 

MAGDALA  AND   BETHANY.     By  the  Rev.  S.  C.  Malan. 

MARION'S    SUNDAYS. 

MICHAEL    KEMP,     THE     HAPPY    FARMER'S     LAD. 

THE  MINE ;    or.  Darkness   and   Light.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

NEW    COBWEBS   TO   CATCH   FLIES. 

NEWTON'S   GIANTS,   AND   HOW  TO   FIGHT  THEM 

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THE   TWO   BROTHERS.     By  the  Rev.  P.  B.  Power. 

A  FAGOT  OF   STORIES.     By  Rev.  P.  B.  Power. 

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ANNALS   OF  THE   POOR.     Bj  Legh   Richmond. 
A  SEQUEL  TO  "PEEP   OF    DAY." 
THE  BOY'S   BOOK.     By  Mrs.  Sigourney. 
THE   GIRL'S   BOOK.     By  Mrs.  Sigourney. 
ORIGINAL    POEMS.     By  the  Taylor  Family. 
LIFE   OF   CAPTAIN  VICARS.     By  Miss  Marsh. 


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ANNIE   PRICE,   AND   Other   Stories.     Six  Engravings. 

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THE  BEAUTIFUL  HOME.    By  the  author  of  "Ministering 

Children." 

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THE   BROKEN   CHAIN.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

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CHILD'S   BUNYAN. 

THE   CITIES   OF  REFUGE.     By  the  Rev.  J.  R.  Macduff. 

DIAMOND   BROOCH. 

DIARY   OF  BROTHER  BARTHOLOMEW. 

DOLLY'S    CHRISTMAS   CHICKENS. 

ESTHER  PARSONS,  and  Other  Stories.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

THE   FAITHFUL   SISTER. 

FALSELY  ACCUSED.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

FANNY  THE   FLOWER-GIRL.     By  Miss  Bunbury. 

FRANK   HARRISON. 

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MOTES     IN    THE     SUNBEAM.     By  Mrs.  Gatty. 

PROVERBS    ILLUSTRATED.     By  Mrs.  Gatty. 

WORLDS  NOT  REALIZED.      By  Mrs.  Gatty. 

THE      GIANT-KILLER.    By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

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A    MORNING    BESIDE     THE     LAKE    OF    GALILEE. 

By  James   Hamilton,  D.D. 
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HAPPY   CHARLIE. 

HARRY  DANGERFIELD.     Bj  A.  L.  O.  E. 

HOW   PAUL'S    PENNY   BECAME   A   POUND. 

ANNA  ROSS.     By  Grace  Kennedy. 

PROFESSION      IS      NOT      PRINCIPLE.         By     Grace 

KUXNEDV. 

PHILIP   COLVILLE.     Bv  Grace  Kennedy. 

LITTLE   KATY  AND  JOLLY  JIM. 

LITTLE   FREDDIE   FEEDING   HIS   SOUL. 

THE     LITTLE     PEAT-CUTTERS.     By  Marshall. 

LITTLE   WILLIE. 

LIVING  JEWELS.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

THE   LOST   SPECTACLES,   and  Other  Stories. 

THE  GOLDTHREAD.     By  Norman  MacLeod,  D.D 

MAGGIE   AND   THE   SPARROWS. 

MAI  A  AND    CLE  ON. 

MORNING. 

MOTHER'S   LAST  WORDS,   AND  FATHER'S   CARE. 

MY  NEIGHBOR'S    SHOES.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

MY   SCHOOLBOY    DAYS. 

MY  YOUTHFUL   COMPANIONS. 

NED    FRANKS.    By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

NELL'S    MISSION. 

OLD   FRIENDS   WITH   NEW   FACES.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

OLD   MARGIE'S    FLOWER-STALL. 

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PAYING   DEAR   FOR   IT.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

RAMBLES   OF  A  RAT.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

RED-CROSS   KNIGHT.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

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CHARLIE   SEYMOUR.     By  Catherine  Sinclair. 

STORIES   ON  THE   LORD'S   PRAYER. 

STORIES   OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

STORIES    OF   THE    OCEAN.     By  Rev.  John  Spaulding. 

TEDDY'S   DREAM.     By  Emma  Leslie. 

THREE   MONTHS   UNDER  THE   SNOW. 

TIBBY  THE   CHARWOMAN. 

DISPLAY.     A  Tale.     By  Jane  Taylor. 


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TUPPY;    OR,  The  Autobiography  of  a  Donkey. 
UNCLE  JACK,  THE   FAULT-KILLER. 
WANDERER  IN  AFRICA.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 
WHAT  ELISE   LOVED   BEST. 
ZAIDA'S   NURSERY  NOTE-BOOK.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 


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ANGUS  TARLTON.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

LOSS   OF  THE   BRIG   AUSTRALIA  BY  FIRE. 

GLORY,   GLORY,    GLORY.     By  Selina  Bunbury. 

THE   CHILD'S   BOOK   OF    DIVINITY.     By  Macduff. 

THE   COLLIER'S  TALE. 

THE   COTTAGE   BY   THE   STREAM.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

DAY-BREAK  IN  BRITAIN.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

HOW   PETER'S   POUND   BECAME  A  PENNY. 

DECISION.     By  Grace  Kennedy. 

JESSIE    ALLEN,    THE    LAME    GIRL.     By  Kennedy. 

LITTLE   WALTER  OF  WYALUSING. 

LOST   CHILD.     By  the  author  of  "  Mother's  Last  Words." 

MY  MOTHER'S    CHAIR. 

OLD   GINGERBREAD  AND  THE   BOYS. 

THE   PASTOR'S   FAMILY. 

HELEN   OF   THE    GLEN.     By  Robert  Pollok. 

THE   PERSECUTED   FAMILY.     By  Robert  Pollok. 

RALPH   GEMMELL.     By  Robert  Pollok. 

THE    STRAIGHT   ROAD.     By  A.  L.  O.  E. 

THE   TOLL-GATE.     A  Story  for  Children. 

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UNICA.     By  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Jack,  the  Fault-Killer." 

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